3. Will the First Minister set out the Welsh Government's key objectives for improving rail services in south Wales? OAQ52223

Yes. Our future objectives and priorities for rail across Wales and the borders are outlined in the 'Rail Services for the Future' document that was published last year.

Thank you, First Minister. You may be aware that, in response to my campaign, Arriva Trains Wales have announced an extra four Sunday train services from Aberdare, with a first service that now reaches Cardiff before 10.00 a.m. This is great news for commuters from the Cynon Valley. What assurances can the Welsh Government give that these services will be carried forward and included in any future timetabling under the new franchise?

Well, first of all, can I congratulate the Member for what she has done? I know, in the press release that was sent out on 24 April, Arriva Trains acknowledged the work that she had done to get the services running on a Sunday. There will be an announcement tomorrow, of course, on the rail franchise, but, as part of the work that's been put into that, we would want to see enhanced Sunday services.

First Minister, I'm sure that one of the key objectives of the Welsh Government is to upgrade the current infrastructure in order to improve the passenger experience. It's crucial that all parts of Wales feel the benefits of any investment by the Welsh Government, and, since you’ve been First Minister, I’ve raised the case of Milford Haven station, which needs substantial improvement. Now, unfortunately, this station isn’t on the Government’s list of stations for improvement, and I understand that there are specific criteria used to decide which stations should receive investment, but there are concerns that these criteria aren’t appropriate, considering stations such as Milford Haven are left behind. Given the circumstances, are you as a Government willing to look at these criteria to ensure that all parts of Wales receive the investment that they deserve?

Well, there are examples where stations have received capital investment in both rural and urban areas. I’m not aware of anything that falls outwith that and would mean that the station in Milford Haven wouldn’t get the investment. Perhaps, if the Member would write to me, I could consider the matter to see whether there’s anything that can be done to move Milford Haven up the list.

First Minister, there’s been a great deal of concern in the Neath area on the possible proposal to exclude Neath station from the main line as a new line is built. Now the Petitions Committee has confirmed to me in an e-mail that the reason a petition on this proposal has been judged to be valid is because it’s the Welsh Government that has commissioned the initial scoping work on this particular proposal. Is the Petitions Committee right in that regard?

Well, from what I can see, this came from something that was said by an individual who had no connection to the Government, is not a member of Government and not a civil servant of the Government. As I said in this Chamber last week, Neath is an exceptionally important station and there is no kind of threat to the services in Neath.  

First Minister, you will be aware of the great deal of frustration at the lack of progress in establishing a Newport to Ebbw Vale passenger rail link train service. That's been the case for quite some time and there's a great deal of concern in the area. Given the long-standing economic, social and cultural links between Newport and Ebbw Vale, do you understand those concerns and is there anything you can say today that would give comfort to those with these concerns?

Our aspiration remains to have two trains an hour operating along the Ebbw line from 2021. We want to see trains going into Newport, but it's a matter for Network Rail, an organisation that we can't even direct. That's part of the problem we have with the current settlement. The Scots can do it; we can't. That said, we want to work to make sure that the service is introduced in the near future and to work with Network Rail to identify the technical solutions needed in order for that to happen.