6. How is the Welsh Government increasing transport infrastructure in North Wales? OAQ(5)0174(EI)

We are working closely and speedily with partners to deliver one of the most generous packages of investment in north Wales: more than £600 million that will improve the infrastructure right across the region.

Thank you for that. Without commenting on the adjectives you’ve used, because this isn’t the opportunity to do so, you have said that the initial assessment of possible new stations has prioritised the proposal for a station at Deeside industrial park, Northern Gateway, for further appraisal. How would you respond to the statement by the Wrexham Bidston Rail Users’ Association? The key factor behind what was their proposal for a Deeside parkway is the ability to provide a car park of sufficient capacity adjacent to the station, accessible to the sizeable population of Deeside, which Hawarden Bridge, Shotton and Hawarden can’t do.

Well, I think the user group, the passenger group are absolutely right that we need to invest in rail infrastructure in the north-east of Wales. Of course, historically, the UK Government, who’s responsible for it, have shown scant regard for the needs of the region in terms of investment in rail infrastructure. That can be said for the rest of Wales as well. What we have done is to ensure that, so that those stations are in a position to attract funding, we have developed business cases, and we continue to develop them to a phase where they are ready for UK Government investment, should it be available. As I said, we are constantly arguing for a greater share of that resource.

Deeside industrial park, Northern Gateway, is a project that would enable people—a larger number of people—to use park-and-ride facilities. We’re incredibly keen that that part of Deeside can be utilised, not just for road and rail transport, but also for active travel. For that reason, the Welsh Government has granted Flintshire council funding to look at how to improve active travel in the area. We’re working with all stakeholders across the north of Wales, and indeed across the border, to ensure that we have better services that are more reliable and more frequent. And, indeed, as a result of the engagement that I’ve had with the user group, we’ve actually been able to ensure that Network Rail carries out the maintenance that’s required on the Wrexham-Bidston line so that, in all hope, next winter we will not see the same sorts of delays—unacceptable delays and cancellations—to services that so many people in north Wales and across the border rely on.

Cabinet Secretary, if I had a tattoo for every hour I had spent in a traffic jam, I would have more than two full sleeves. On Friday, I got caught up in the horrendous chaos on the A55, only to turn around and then be caught up in hours of delays on the A5 near Chirk, which, I believe, is only just reopening fully today. What are you going to do to ensure that when we have these accidents and when repairs need to be made, we actually have a 24/7 service, where engineers and contractors can move in swiftly and quickly and get this sorted, and with the emphasis on the weekend as well, please?

I am totally sympathetic to the concerns that the Member has, and the concerns that have been expressed widely on social media, and the frustration that’s been expressed on social media and in newspapers. I have asked for an urgent piece of work to be carried out and to be presented to me, with recommendations, before the recess, on how the response to the repair of damage can be improved, and to investigate options and costs for providing an improved emergency response to various scenarios, the types of which we have seen recently.

In terms of the actual events themselves, the A55 incident that the Member referred to first led to a road closure. I will be issuing a statement that will detail what happened in the aftermath of that incident. Though officials worked as fast as possible to remove, or try to remove, what was on the surface of the road, it ultimately required further work to be done to clear the surface, but we were able to open the road as soon as possible. The incident that happened earlier in the month on the A55 near Bodelwyddan was a most unfortunate one, and it did involve a vulnerable person on a bridge over the A55 at Bodelwyddan. I’m sure the Member would agree that we can’t compromise when lives are at risk. It is unusual for such an incident as this to be as prolonged as it was, but north Wales took the lead in managing the incident. Likewise, the incident that the Member was caught up in himself last week was managed, in part, by the air ambulance, who requested emergency services, requested closure of the roads—again, we cannot compromise on safety.

In terms of the A5 incident between Halton and Gledrid on 19 June, this occurred when a vehicle struck a parapet on the viaduct itself. Local diversions were put in place, but we could not open the road without suitable protective barriers in place. I, and my officials, have been pressing for work to be carried out urgently so that the road can be reopened. There has been a great challenge in identifying the specialists that are required to carry out that work, in part because of the extraordinary amount of work that’s now taking place on bridges and other facilities in London, but it’s my hope that the diversion will be removed by Friday morning so that that road can reopen. But, as I say again, a written statement is due to be released shortly and I have asked for that urgent piece of work to be brought to me before recess, with a set of recommendations, so that in the future we are able to respond to incidents such as this far quicker and resolve them sooner.