Part of 2. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:39 pm on 14 November 2017.
First of all, of course, there are issues to be discussed with the Department of Transport in London. There is no big problem, as far as I know, with regard to proceeding with the process. It's not unusual for a company to withdraw, and, of course, we know that there are companies that are still part of that process.
May I say that what we would have preferred to see is a situation where the finance and the funding would have been transferred, and that we could then direct Network Rail—but, of course, that hasn't been given to us—and that we would be given an opportunity to run the franchise as an arm's-length body in the public sector, which is something that has been made available to Scotland but has not been gifted to us, and we are completely angry about that? So, there is no reason now why this should not proceed, and, of course, it's something we want to ensure in order to see a better service for the people of Wales.