Transport for Wales (TfW) is to received another £70m in funding to help support it to continue to operate services while passenger numbers remain lower than normal levels, according to government budget documents.
The latest cash injection builds on previous additional funding of £167m granted by the Welsh Government last year to keep trains running through the pandemic.
Latest figures show passenger numbers on TfW’s Wales and Borders network are currently at around half the levels seen pre-pandemic.
During the pandemic, passenger journeys on TfW trains fell from 30 million (in 2019/20) down to just five million, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
This led to the Welsh Government stepping in and, in effect, nationalising the service in February 2021.
The new £70m additional funding is expected to help meet operating costs from September 2021 through until the end of November, while passenger numbers are still anticipated to be lower than regular levels.
TfW were quoted as saying: "As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact passenger revenue across the rail industry, this additional support from the Welsh Government enables us to provide vital services, safeguard jobs and deliver on our plans to provide a rail service the people of Wales and Borders can be proud of."
