Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 13 February 2019.
Well, as a not-for-profit organisation, there will be huge opportunities for local businesses to benefit from the new franchise. Transport for Wales will be looking at utilising stations to ensure that they can be used by businesses and start-ups, but I have to say to the Member that Rhondda Cynon Taf is the single biggest beneficiary of the next phase of metro. Transport for Wales, as the Member is already aware, have several imminent improvements planned for rail services in the Rhondda. I should just repeat them, though: by the end of this year, we'll be introducing a number of newer-class trains operating on the route, as I said to Hefin David, increasing capacity from 212 on the older trains to 292; there'll be an increase in the frequency of Sunday services between Cardiff Central and Treherbert to one train per hour; a deep cleaning programme will be in place at all stations in the Rhondda as part of an initial refresh; and automatic ticket machines will be in place at all stations within the Member's constituency as well that do not currently have these facilities. And in the longer term, the Rhonda will directly benefit from Transport for Wales's hugely ambitious transformative plans for the south Wales metro. That includes opportunities for businesses to exploit in terms of supply chain opportunities as the infrastructure of the south Wales metro is delivered.