Part of 3. 2. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 23 May 2017.
I do remain committed to that. Unfortunately, of course, due to the provision in the Wales Act, it’s not an option open to us. We have not been permitted to look at an arm’s-length public body being used to run the franchise, unlike in Scotland. He will know that this is an issue where we share the same view and something that we are in dispute with the UK Government over. As part of the franchising process next year, we expect to see the best value for money delivered for Welsh customers, and, of course, significant investment in rolling stock. There are many people who use the Valleys lines who are on rolling stock that are many, many decades old. They deserve better than that and we want to see that delivered over the course of the next franchise period.