A wheelchair user has told the media how he was left feeling travel sick and unsafe after being forced to sit next to the train doors on two railway journeys.
Cameron Wood, from Hereford, said Transport for Wales staff told him it was the only space to sit because to the lack of available wheelchair bays.
He said: “I ended up sitting by the doors and it was like a rollercoaster. It wasn’t a very nice experience.
“It does worry me that the doors will accidentally open when at stations while a wheelchair is parked against them if this is allowed to continue.”
Transport for Wales (TfW) said it would investigate why the Mr wood was placed in such a situation.
Mr Wood said that during the first journey from Hereford to Cardiff a pushchair was parked in the wheelchair-only space. On the other journey he was told to sit by the doors of the train because the walkway from the door of the train to the wheelchair area was blocked.
Mr Wood told the BBC: “Every time we stopped at a station – there were maybe three, four, five stops – I had to move because passengers were getting off and on and I was blocking a door through no fault of my own.
“I’m finding that I’m having to do this more and more – you have nothing to anchor yourself with. It has made me feel quite travel sick.”
Mr Wood has demanded an apology and is also calling for railway operators to bring in automated announcements to remind other passengers not use wheelchair spaces for their luggage or pushchairs.
He said: “Trains are my lifeline. We don’t have a choice where we sit and sometimes it can be really, really hard.”
A spokesperson for TfW told the BBC: “Looking after our customers’ well-being and safety is our number one priority. We will investigate the services highlighted to understand why the area by the door was utilised.
“We aim to provide assistance to those who need help when travelling on our network.
“If passengers have not reserved a wheelchair space in advance, this may not be available if another passenger is already using the seat or it is reserved for a passenger later in the journey. If there are no priority seats available, our staff will do their best to help find a seat elsewhere.
“Additionally all our trains are fitted with equipment for our conductors to make announcements.”
