Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:32 pm on 7 March 2018.

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Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 2:32, 7 March 2018

Cabinet Secretary, I'm quoting from your own Transport for Wales authority's maps. Under 'red', it says,

'Discontinued from future consideration at present'.

I'm just quoting at you your own transport authority's statement on these subjects. It is right, of course, that some of the money that you've had is going to be spent on the Valleys lines. According to the same document, there is a possibility that the existing core Valleys lines will be converted to light rail. But, again, that's a policy that we should be debating, because some will feel that light rail isn't appropriate in all circumstances—over long distances, for example, where trains are meant to travel more than 45 mph. It will disconnect the core Valleys lines from the national heavy rail network, with no freight or excursion, or through trains, for example, to Cardiff Airport possible ever again. Though I should point out that you've also ruled out a rail link to Cardiff Airport in the document, but we weren't told about that either. Why weren't we told about these policy decisions, so that we could debate them, and so that the people, ultimately, whose railway service this is—not the Government's—could have their say on whether this was the vision and these were the priorities they wanted to see?