5. What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had in relation to improving train services from Pontyclun to Cardiff? OAQ53004

Well, we are introducing a range of improvements to services at Pontyclun, including a reduction in journey times, new four-car trains and an increase in Sunday service frequency. We continue to work with Transport for Wales to consider extending the metro, including to Pontyclun—subject, of course, to funding and a strong business case.

Thank you for that, Cabinet Secretary. Firstly, I'd like to thank you for meeting with me, with Huw Irranca-Davies, local Members of Parliament and the Rhondda Cynon Taf council leader, Andrew Morgan, to discuss those services from Pontyclun to Cardiff. And, of course, these impact very significantly on the public who wish to access public transport rather than taking to the road. As the Cabinet Secretary will know, the scale of housing development in Pencoed and in that part of Taff-Ely means that the demand for train services at Pontyclun is not only large, but is going to increase significantly.

The first key issue is that trains are only two carriages long, and I'd be grateful for your thoughts on how this could be addressed as part of the plan to replace rolling stock. Secondly, the frequency of trains is largely determined by the crossing at Pencoed, which is closed for up to 40 minutes every hour. A new overpass at Pencoed would mean that the crossing need not close, facilitating a significant increase in train frequency. I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary would give his thoughts on the viability of these solutions.

Well, can I thank Mick Antoniw for his question and also thank him for the opportunity to speak with him directly regarding the two issues that he raised in his question? I'm pleased to say that during the conversation I had with Sir Peter Hendy, the chair of Network Rail, this morning, the Pencoed crossing featured quite heavily in our discussions, and we have committed to work together to find a solution to this particular issue, utilising not just Network Rail resource, but also the local transport fund, which I think will be crucial in finding a solution there.

Now, in terms of the capacity on the two-carriage trains, I'm really pleased to be able to tell the Member that, with the roll-out of four-car trains by the end of 2022—and let's remember these are going to be new trains—the number of seats available on the trains will rise from 120 to 204, increasing quite considerably the capacity on that particular service.

I join the Member for Pontypridd in highlighting the Pontyclun station as a real pressure point, especially with developments that have gone on in recent years—but developments we know will be happening in the future. Over the last week, I have literally been bombarded by constituents in that area who have had a particularly poor experience of the service that's on offer to them, with trains overshooting the platform, an inability for conductors to collect fares on the train itself, and when they get to Cardiff Central station, only one hatch open to make payments to progress their journeys. Now, part of these faults don't depend on the weather; they just depend on good management, Cabinet Secretary. We've heard the reasoning behind some of the problems that have been affecting the network more generally, but what confidence can you give me as an elected Member to go back to my constituents and say that these very basic levels of staff being at stations to monitor the arrival and departure of trains, and, in particular, serviced areas within the stations to make payments, will be staffed fully, so that people can have that positive experience, not just in 2022 but here in 2018? 

I'm pleased to be able to say that, as a consequence of the agreement that we reached with KeolisAmey, we're going to be increasing employment by 600. That's quite a significant figure. We're also going to be rolling out cashless ticketing machines at all stations across the Wales and borders franchise area, and we'll also further recognise the challenges faced at the moment with the particular station that the Member highlighted in his question. But, every single station will receive investment and will be upgraded as a consequence of the £200 million that we'll be investing in stations across Wales and borders routes.