It’s a pleasure to be able to contribute to this inquiry and to the resulting report as well, as a Member for a Valleys constituency, where improvements in rail infrastructure are so very desperately needed. For my contribution today, I want to focus on just a few of the recommendations. First of all, recommendation 10 is critical to ensuring that we meet future demand. The previous franchise, as has already been mentioned, failed to make any provision for growth, whether through carrot or stick, and we are facing the consequences of this now. My constituents frequently contact me to complain about the cramped travelling conditions they can face during peak-time journeys. So, I welcome the Welsh Government’s accepting of this recommendation, both in terms of expecting bidders to show how they will build in the capacity to meet demand, and how they will use a range of tools to monitor passenger satisfaction.

Recommendation 12 raised the linked issue of those occasions when passenger demand spikes, for example, in connection with sporting events in Cardiff. Just yesterday, I met a group of my constituents here who’d come to visit the Senedd, and the very first thing that they wanted to speak to me about was the challenges that they felt they faced in accessing rail services when they want to come to the capital city to attend football or rugby matches. It is good that the Welsh Government has accepted this recommendation in principle, but I am still concerned that bad experiences on occasions like this could deter people from relying on our train services and using them on a more regular basis, when we so desperately need to try and convince more of our citizens to make that shift from the car onto public transport.

The Welsh Government accepted our recommendation 17 that

‘the evidence base for future decisions and prioritisation of the Metro considers the spatial context.’

But I have some reservations here on the need to get this right. ‘Prosperity for All’ committed itself to

‘ensuring that all new and significant developments…are sited within easy reach of a station.’

This is a laudable aim indeed, but I would appreciate clarification that this could refer to bus as well as train stations within the context of the pan-south Wales metro. My reason for saying this is because I feel there are particular challenges around the topography of the Valleys, and the northern Valleys such as Cynon in particular, where our most disadvantaged communities are the ones that are actually furthest from the railway line. It’s really important that we recognise that and that future developments don’t just restrict themselves to that central flat Valleys floor, but are actually encouraged to go further up into the Valleys where we will see the bus stops for the metro as well. I think that’s an important social justice angle and one that I would appreciate some clarification on.