3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport: Rail Services and the South Wales Metro

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:01 pm on 5 June 2018.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 3:01, 5 June 2018

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement, and I should also thank him for the briefing events that you put on yesterday afternoon and this morning, which were extremely helpful, so I thank you for that? 

The awarding of the new rail franchise represents a multibillion pound opportunity and I, like you, Cabinet Secretary, want to make sure that every Welsh person benefits from that investment. I've yet to see the exact breakdown of how much has been invested by the Welsh Government and how much has been invested by the operator. I appreciate I may have missed this information in recent days, but I'd be grateful if you could outline the details of the funding profile of how much the Welsh Government and how much the operator will be investing in each year of the contract. 

The contractor's relationship with Network Rail, of course, is crucial, and I'm wondering what alliance will be formed between the franchise operator and Network Rail. I wonder if you can outline what structures are going to be put in place to ensure there's a close working relationship between Network Rail and the contractor in the day-to-day running of the network, and, of course, with Transport for Wales as well.

I was particularly pleased to see the commitment in regard to 4G and 5G roll-out, with masts along the track, and I suppose that provides an example of the question I just asked with regard to Network Rail being responsible for one area, and the operator—the other, of course, Network Rail, owning the land around the track. And with regard to the improved mobile infrastructure, how will that dovetail with the Welsh Government's mobile action plan? 

I do want to ask you about accessibility of toilets on trains. Of course, we know of the new legislation coming into force by 2020, and that some train companies are trying to get around the legislation on old Pacer trains by locking train toilets. I appreciate you've made some statements in this regard, but I would be interested in hearing from you, Cabinet Secretary, your views on how we guard against the unintended consequences of the persons with reduced mobility legislation, and a strong statement from you with regard to disability access to toilets on trains would be welcome. 

And finally, could I ask you, Cabinet Secretary, to agree to a couple of points: to publish, in partnership, of course, with Transport for Wales and KeolisAmey, the opportunities that make clear to small and medium-sized enterprises in Wales every commercial opportunity over the coming years that the franchise presents; to provide updates on what additional measures Transport for Wales are taking to advertise the financial opportunities that the franchise represents; and, finally, to publish specific Welsh Government targets for the percentage of work won on this scheme by Welsh firms going forward? Thank you, Presiding Officer.