8. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government priorities for increasing public transport services in the Cynon Valley? OAQ(5)0675(FM)

The national transport finance plan, published in 2015, sets out investment for transport and infrastructure and services for 2015-20 across all parts of Wales.

First Minister, a number of constituents have recently contacted me about the inadequacy of public transport links between the Cynon valley and Cardiff on Sundays, with, for example, infrequent services making it difficult for them to access employment opportunities, both within the capital and simply further down the Cynon valley itself. Under the south Wales metro, or any future revised rail franchise, how can we make sure that this is not the case and that there are appropriate opportunities to use public transport on Sundays?

It’s hugely important that we start to think of Sunday as a day that is not exactly like any other day, of course, but similar in terms of people’s work patterns. We are no longer a Sabbatarian nation and people do travel on Sundays, and, quite often, the public transport networks don’t reflect that. It is something that we will reflect on as part of the franchise negotiations. It’s hugely important that people are able to travel to work on a Sunday, as many people do now work, particularly in the retail sector, on a Sunday. So, this is something that we will consider as part of the roll-out of the metro and as part of the franchise.

First Minister, the frequency and reliability of services is crucial, and in terms of Arriva’s services, I really think that we need to see a dramatic improvement in such practices as cancelling services or stopping a service half way up the valley. If you want to get to Aberdare, it stops in Mountain Ash and you have to get off and wait for the next train. These are really important tests of a service, and I do not think that sort of service is acceptable.

It’s hugely important that people are able to travel on a reliable service and in comfort. There are many occasions where Members have drawn attention to a breakdown in that service over the years. From next year, of course, it is the responsibility of the Welsh Government, and we accept that. He should count himself lucky he was not in London yesterday, where I travelled back and fore on a Great Western train where there was no air conditioning at all. If I’d taken a rubber plant with me, it would have prospered in what were mid-30s temperatures—that is, centigrade—on the train itself. That was wholly unacceptable by Great Western. It’s wholly unacceptable for any train company to operate in that way. That’s why it’s so important with the new franchises, as they are allocated, that we look not just at frequency, but that we also look at the comfort that passengers experience when they’re on the trains, in order to make sure that more people use the trains.

Thank you, First Minister.