A fortnight of pressure from the South Wales Echo has forced a pledge on new rolling stock from one of welsh railways' top men.

It was one of a series of promises made by Arriva Trains Wales' managing director Graeme Bunker during a 90-minute meeting the paper set up with infuriated passengers, who complained to the Echo about delays and cramped conditions.

Significantly, he changed his position of two weeks earlier when he claimed in an interview with the Echo that passenger complaints about Cardiff's suburban network were just "teething problems" with his otherwise revolutionary timetable.

That interview sparked a campaign which provoked scores of angry e-mails from frustrated readers and led to the paper challenging the MD to join them and a reporter on one of his morning commuter services.

When he refused he was dubbed "THE RAIL BOSS WHO WON'T BE SEEN ON HIS OWN TRAINS" on the Echo's front page.

Despite pressure from more than 20 councillors and MPs and AMs from all political parties who backed the paper, he repeatedly refused to back down.