4. How will the south Wales metro improve access to public transport in the Cynon Valley? OAQ52384

Aberdare and the wider Cynon Valley will benefit from an increase to four services per hour in 2022. More immediately, the Sunday service trial that's currently operational will be made permanent from December 2018.

Thank you, First Minister. I welcome those comments on the rail aspect of the metro, but I think it's important to note that, from its inception, the metro project has been promoted as an integrated transport solution. The geography of the Valleys means that it's often our most impoverished communities that can be furthest away from the train links on the valley floor. So, for them to benefit from better access to the jobs market, it is crucial that they're served by strong bus links that feed into those train services. So, First Minister, what reassurances can the Welsh Government give that those bus links remain at the heart of the metro vision?

Well, Members will know the frustration that many of us feel when constituents come to us and say, 'Is there anything you can do about this bus route that's been cut?' And the answer is, 'Well, it's nothing to do with Government. It's all from the private sector, apart from subsidised routes.' Well, that has to come to an end, because, in most parts of Wales, there's effectively a private monopoly on bus services. They can do as they see fit in terms of which routes they run. Now that we have responsibility and control over the bus services in Wales, there's the opportunity to create that integrated bus, light rail and train system that we've wanted to see for a long times in Wales. She's right to say that there are many cross-Valleys routes, for example, that are not being served by rail, but are important in terms of what they deliver through bus services. Now we can start looking, from phases 2 and 3 and beyond, at a properly integrated public transport system for the whole of Wales, and these are exciting times.

First Minister, we're already seeing, from the population statistics for Rhondda Cynon Taf and Aberdare, being very important, that there's an increase in population of people who are between 30 and 40, as some people are relocating to those areas to purchased family-sized housing. This is leading to a larger and more diverse social mix, which itself regenerates areas like Aberdare. But an essential part of this, to rebuild on this trend, is to ensure that the metro provides excellent transport, because a lot of younger people do not want their lives ruled by the car and facing congestion points.

They don't; you're quite right. They are more enlightened, I suppose, than many of the generations older than them. We are looking, of course—the Member for Llanelli has offered his strong support for that, I'm glad he considers he is a part of the younger generation, but I'll not comment on that. We are looking, of course, at a system of half-price travel for young people, as well, to make it easier for them to access the network that we will have in place, but the Member is quite right to point out that we have to make sure, as we encourage people out of their cars, that we have a rail system that is good enough to attract them onto the trains. For too long, they've had to put up with uncomfortable trains with condensation running down the windows, with indifferent punctuality. Those days must change, and they will change as a result of the new franchise.

First Minister, the improvements to the service in Cynon valley will obviously come through to Pontypridd, but are probably unlikely to go as far as providing benefits to Pontyclun, where you have a population from Pencoed to the surrounding area of around 100,000. The main benefit that, probably, people in Pontyclun will see is that there will be more trains going through Pontyclun, but not necessarily stopping in Pontyclun. At the moment, there is one train an hour, two at peak times, normally of two carriages, and there is incredible frustration in terms of people actually even being able to access the service at all, because of the congestion. I wonder if this is something Welsh Government would have a look at to ensure that, in this growing area, this vitally important area, a part of my constituency, there will be very specific improvements to the rail service, to the frequency of trains, the quality of trains and the number of carriages to enable them to deliver people, whether it be from Pencoed through Pontyclun to Cardiff or vice versa.

My daughter travels to Cardiff on a Monday and a Tuesday. She is somebody who lobbies me constantly on this issue. She sees the overcrowding on the trains. She gets on at Bridgend, but, of course, with the stops at Pencoed and Llanharan, then at Pontyclun, she sees the overcrowding that takes place there with a two-carriage train in the early morning. Bear in mind, of course, that the last franchise was let on the basis that there would be no increase in the passenger numbers at all. That was unfathomable thinking at the time. That is not what we've done this time around. So, it does mean looking at more frequent services to serve his constituents. It'll mean, in time, as well, of course, looking at the old coke works line up to Beddau to see whether that can be used—probably light rail—to link back into the mainline to provide a service for people at the stations from western Talbot Green, I suppose, onwards and upwards up to Beddau.