Transport for Wales (TfW) passengers have battled hot conditions, reduced services and sudden cancellations this week.

Both train travellers and the trains themselves have struggled to cope in the hot conditions on the Cambrian Line.

One passenger was left in tears following a journey in 30-degree conditions, as disruptions due to heat plague train lines across the UK.

Many TfW services were cancelled due to a “reduced number of trains available”, with many of the older train stock taken out of service for air conditioning system repair.

Mik Barton from Dinas Mawddwy described double the passengers on board a train half the usual size in hot conditions when he travelled from Machynlleth to Birmingham on 13 July: “My first train was cancelled, the second train had two carriages instead of four - the result was two train-loads of passengers packed on half a train.

“The service was cut short at Wolverhampton, then cut again, when we were transferred to a nice, new West Midlands train [with air conditioning]. Excellent staff, rubbish transport.”

His journey was delayed by over an hour, with a fellow passenger from Aberystwyth having to use a taxi to Machynlleth when the replacement bus didn’t show up.

This issue is arguably impacting people with disabilities most - ADW from Machynlleth, who has autism and is disabled, became upset by the disruptions on 16 July, making their connection with a minute to spare.

The 27-year-old’s mother said rushing for trains is difficult when using a stick and a mobility scooter: “They were sensorally overwhelmed with being hot and sticky and thirsty.”

Passengers have endured these disruptions since the 22 June heatwave, when TfW communications were criticised for being poor, the website listing cancellations but not the rail replacement buses that were running.

Another anonymous passenger from Machynlleth criticised TfW holding back trains without air conditioning, making other trains unbearably cramped.

Travelling from Machynlleth to London last week, the London stretch had air con, but the TfW carriage was overcrowded with no cooling system: “I am someone who is prone to overheating, and with menopause it's got even worse, so I really dread this heat.”

Mik has called for the long-promised new trains on the Cambrian Line to be installed: “When the current trains were built, they didn’t have 30+ degree heatwaves every few weeks.

“In the next decade the rail network has to be capable of dealing with temperatures that the climate emergency is throwing at us.”

A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: "We know that customers travelling on the Cambrian Line have experienced significant disruption in recent weeks - we sincerely apologise for the impact this has had on their journeys.

“The current period of extreme weather has placed exceptional pressure on our older trains and particularly the air conditioning systems, which has resulted in many being withdrawn from service.

“Our teams have been working hard to return affected trains to service as quickly as possible and we advise all customers to check before they travel and carry water to stay hydrated in warm weather.”