6. Will the First Minister commission a full early-stage feasibility study of a Swansea Bay metro network? (OAQ51049)  

We have funded development work on the outline concept of a metro for south-west Wales in his financial year, via the local transport fund. Swansea county council—I should say the City and County of Swansea—is co-ordinating this work in partnership with the other local authorities in the south-west and the project is progressing well.

Thank you, First Minister. Since Theresa May’s Government reneged on their promise to electrify the railway line to Swansea and the west, this has thrown into sharp relief the connectivity of the whole Swansea bay city region. I welcome the support for the concept for a modern, joined-up public transport network. I think what we need to see now is a detailed feasibility study so we can properly understand how communities in the Llanelli constituency can link up with other communities right across the city region by rail, bus and active travel.

The project has begun well. A workshop was held with regional planning officers in May. It provided the framework for the emerging concepts. That work is ongoing. But yes, I share the Member’s disappointment at the breaking of a promise by the UK Government to electrify the main line as far as Swansea. I well remember the then Secretary of State, Cheryl Green—. Cheryl Green? Cheryl Gillan. Cheryl Green is the leader of the Lib Dems in Bridgend—there we are. Cheryl Gillan. She won’t forgive me for that, Cheryl Gillan—neither of them, I suspect. But I well remember her saying that it was beyond question that the line would be electrified as far as Swansea—and the money has gone. The people looking for it, I suspect, will find it in Belfast.

I’m pleased that there is growing support for this idea. It’s something that Mike Hedges has raised in the Chamber previously and something that I’ve spoken on as well. When we met the shadow board as a group of local Assembly Members last December, they said that transport infrastructure was not part of their thinking on the city deals. I’m pleased that things have moved on on that. But it’s something I’ve also mentioned to the Association of British Ports, which affects a number of the constituencies within the deal area, who have a strong record on logistics and who seem to be playing no part in the city deal discussion at all. So, I’m wondering, if a feasibility study were to be commissioned, will it include a space for the ports within the deal area, and will there be space within the city deal for any findings of that report, even accepting that the financial support for the city deal is pretty generous?

We have to remember, of course, that the city deal is driven by local authorities and not by us. It’s a partnership between the UK Government, the Welsh Government and local authorities, but it’s for local authorities working together to prioritise and to engage. What I will do, however, is pass her comments on to the local authorities and ask them what they’re doing to engage with ABP particularly—she’s asked about that—and I will, of course, share that response with her.

Further to the principle of establishing a metro, would you agree that this is an opportunity for us to create, as a starting point, a bus system that is managed and delivered by local councils, rather than private bus companies?

Yes. Of course, the powers will be coming to us over the ensuing months and there will be an opportunity for us to consider how the buses are managed. We know, of course, that there is a strong argument for ensuring that a system is re-established where it will be possible for the councils to run those services ultimately, either themselves or via a franchise. But it will mean that they will have greater control over local bus services than has been true in the past years.

I echo the comments Dai Lloyd made about the importance of buses for those of us with constituencies which are not realistically going to be served by any feasible rail-only solution. Would he commit that any feasibility study commissioned also considers the use of modern technology? I know the Cabinet Secretary for economy has been looking in his bus congestion work at the use of technology to ensure that buses can operate in a really properly integrated system. Would any feasibility study reflect those principles as well?

Yes, it will need to. There are a number of ways in which you can deliver a metro: some as heavy rail, some as light rail, fast buses and the possibility of dedicated bus lanes. There are any number of ways where a metro system can be delivered and it’s hugely important that any study is able to look at emerging modern technology, particularly in order to facilitate quicker transport options for the public.