4. What actions are the Welsh Government taking to improve railway services in Islwyn? OAQ54401

I thank the Member for that question. Transport for Wales will deliver additional services, with improved rolling stock and stations in Islwyn, as part of our ambitious plans for the south Wales metro. A statement on railway matters in Wales will be made by the Minister for Economy and Transport, scheduled for next week.

Thank you, First Minister. In 2018, the Welsh Labour Government announced, as part of the new Wales and borders rail contract, run by Transport for Wales, direct rail links between Newport and Ebbw Vale to be restored in 2021. And this is tremendous news for my constituents in Islwyn, in Newbridge, Crosskeys and Risca. The link was closed to passengers in April 1962, following the infamous Beeching report. So, First Minister, what is the current progress on the hourly service between Ebbw Vale, through Islwyn, to Newport, when will it begin, and, First Minister—[Interruption.] I hear comments to my left. What does the announcement that every railway station in Islwyn will receive a share of the £194 million of investment from Transport for Wales, which shows and demonstrates the commitment of Welsh Labour to radically improve the experience for Islwyn railway commuters?

Well, Llywydd, thanks to Rhianon Passmore for, once again, pointing to the improvements that are coming the way of citizens living in Islwyn, and the fact that we are committed to delivering direct rail links between Newport and Ebbw Vale, as part of the new Wales and borders franchise, demonstrates that when these decisions are in our hands we are able to make them in a way that is both designed in Wales and delivers benefits for people in Wales.

Constituents in Islwyn will start to see the introduction of class 170 trains from December of this year. The outline business case for the Ebbw Vale line is at the third stage in its development process and well under development. And, as far as the £194 million station improvement programme of Transport for Wales, it will see in Islwyn, as elsewhere, free Wi-Fi, new passenger information, improved cycle storage facilities, deep cleaning at every station under the control of Transport for Wales, and citizens in the Member's constituency in Risca, Crosskeys and Newbridge will see all those advantages too.

First Minister, an issue that is raising concern is the lack of toilets on the new trains that are planned for the network, which serves Islwyn and the south Wales Valleys. And it seems that the proposal that's being put forward for people who are disabled, elderly or with medical conditions is to get off the train to use a toilet at a station and then wait for the next train. I wonder if you think that that approach is acceptable. 

Well, Llywydd, I do think it is important to be clear about what we're talking about. We are not talking about the generality of trains. We're talking about tram trains, and tram trains, at the moment, are proposed for introduction on those lines because they will provide access to far more communities than the current system is able to do. Trams will be able to go on the road, reach places that the current system cannot reach and they will increase access to those lines not restrict it. 

Now, Transport for Wales has looked everywhere around the globe to see if it is possible to procure new tram trains that have toilet facilities on them. There is only one place that we have been able to find anywhere in the world where there is a toilet on a tram train, and those are toilets that do not allow for disability access, because if you are driving a tram train, for safety reasons, the driver has to be able to have unimpeded sight lines from where he is driving the train right to the back of it. Nevertheless, the Minister has asked Transport for Wales to continue to see if it is possible to persuade a manufacturer, or to find a manufacturer capable of providing toilet facilities on tram trains in a way that would avoid the difficulties that the Member has identified.

In the meantime, if you look elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the Edinburgh tram system doesn't have toilets on it; the—

Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester. I stood for 40 minutes yesterday on the underground in London with millions of other people and there are no toilet facilities there either. There, they have toilet facilities available to you at stations and that is what we will be doing with the tram trains. But if we can find a better solution, if we can find a supplier able to do what we would like to do, then that is what Transport for Wales has been asked to pursue.