8. 7. Statement: Transport Modernisation — An Update on the Wales and Borders Franchise and Metro Programmes

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:51 pm on 12 July 2016.

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Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour 5:51, 12 July 2016

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I wanted to raise two areas. One was the issue of people with disabilities and the difficulties that they have travelling on any form of transport. We know, for example, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People that 54 per cent of people who are blind or partially sighted experience difficulties on the trains, and this can be due to poor lighting, signage or lack of disability-awareness training amongst the staff. So, could the Cabinet Secretary tell me what representations he’s had from people or groups that represent disabled people about ensuring that disability issues will be entrenched in the franchise?

The second question was about the south Wales metro. I very much welcome his statement that it will be moving forward; that there’s an agreement with the UK Government; and that he says in his statement that,

‘Working with the operator and development partner we will award infrastructure delivery contracts for the South Wales Metro in spring 2018’.

Is he able to say exactly what infrastructure will be delivered there and what are the first delivery contracts that will be delivered in 2018?