We're going to move on now to item 4: a statement by the Minister for Economy and Transport—a railway for Wales. I call on the Minister for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates. 

Thank you. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to update the Assembly on the UK Government Williams rail review, to reiterate our expectations for devolution and also explain our vision for the railway in Wales that will meet the needs of future generations, which I am also publishing today. Our vision describes the benefits that full rail devolution will bring, explains what we would do differently with an appropriate devolution settlement, and presents an alternative future for the railway in Wales.

Since the launch of the Williams rail review, following the clear and critical failings of the current railway delivery model, we have consistently set out our expectations that the review should contain a number of changes. One, it should enable Wales to own, to manage and to develop our own infrastructure; two, give us greater flexibility to operate high-quality, frequent cross-border services to more destinations; to also allow us to select from a range of service and infrastructure delivery models, with a greater role for the public sector; and to ensure that organisations responsible for delivering passenger services and rail infrastructure in Wales—including train operators, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road—are properly accountable to the Welsh Government.

Since the Assembly voted overwhelmingly to support the Welsh Government’s position, we have submitted our final response to the UK Government’s review. This explained how, with these new powers and responsibilities, we would develop our railway in Wales to meet our own needs and objectives, and deliver our obligations under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The new Wales and borders franchise has allowed the Welsh Government, through Transport for Wales, to develop an innovative approach that will see transformational changes for passengers delivered right across the Wales and borders area. Through devolution, we created an organisation that oversaw a procurement process that put our own objectives at its heart, developed skills and expertise in Wales, and delivered a model to maximise wider benefits. This would simply not have been possible through a UK Government-led process.

The transfer and transformation of the core Valleys lines to the Welsh Government demonstrates how decentralisation and devolution can develop innovative bespoke solutions to delivering an integrated transport network.

The ability to dedicate time and focus effort on delivering outcomes that meet local needs and broader objectives has resulted in wider benefits in terms of attracting employment, developing local expertise, delivering community benefits, and promoting our culture and language. For example, 22 Transport for Wales ambassadors will work with communities to remove real and perceived barriers to transport, to encourage the use of public transport and active travel and to turn train stations into vibrant community hubs.

But we need to go further, to take on greater responsibility and powers to transform the railway across Wales, to deliver infrastructure and services that meet the needs of future generations, and to improve accessibility and accountability to local communities, to ensure that they have the high-quality railway that they deserve. Evidently, the ability to meet diverse local needs can only be achieved through devolution settlements where decision-making processes are informed by community, regional and national priorities.

We recognise that it may be beneficial for some functions, such as safety standards, cross-border timetables and rail freight access, to remain managed centrally at a Great Britain level. However, this system must recognise the diversity of a UK devolution settlement and be subject to appropriate governance, transparency and representation from national Governments and authorities with devolved powers.

We are already in a strong position to meet these challenges. In Transport for Wales, we already have the structures, the expertise and the processes in place to take on these new responsibilities and powers. Cross-border issues were collectively and comprehensively addressed by the Welsh and UK Governments when responsibility for the Wales and borders franchise was transferred. And today we publish our vision for our railway that aligns with our wider social, economic and environmental objectives, our transport priorities, and our commitment to future generations

We therefore have a template for delivering the remaining elements of devolution, we have unprecedented cross-party support, and we have an ambitious and deliverable vision that will reverse the decades of underinvestment in our railway. We are approaching a critical juncture in the evolution of the railways in Great Britain, and in particular the opportunity to develop a network that better meets the needs of the people in Wales that use it, and the communities that rely on it.

I'm also today setting out the Welsh Government’s principles for future public transport connectivity that will offer a step change in frequencies, integration and journey times. Only with the appropriate devolution and funding settlement can these be delivered through a programme developed in Wales.

Now, I welcome the positive engagement that the Welsh Government has had with Keith Williams and his team, who have shown a strong interest in our approach in Wales to procuring the franchise, the integration of track and train, and the challenges that we face under the current devolution settlement. I have every reason to believe that our case has been heard, and that further devolution to the Welsh Government will be recommended. I now expect the UK Government to reflect our requirements, meet our expectations, and set a clear pathway, timeline and programme for full devolution of our railways. I expect the UK Government to meet their commitment to publish a White Paper this autumn, and we stand ready to work with them on its implementation.

Our railway is fundamental to an effective and efficient transport network and should be one of our most socially and economically valuable assets. It has the potential to make a significant contribution in Wales to people’s lives, our communities, the environment and to our economy. Its continued development and expansion will contribute to our ambition to develop a stronger, more inclusive and more equitable economy, and to deliver prosperity for all by connecting people, communities and business to jobs, services and markets.

I've got nine people wanting to speak, and the first one will be Russell George.

Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. Can I thank the Minister for his statement on the vision of rail in Wales? I support the Minister's view with regard to the devolution of rail infrastructure—I think it's important to say that. There was a lot of talk, Minister, in your statement about innovative, bespoke solutions to deliver an integrated transport network, transforming the railways across Wales and delivering the high-quality railway that the people of Wales deserve. I can agree with all that—they're all admirable, very high-level aspirations—but I can't help thinking, if rail users are listening to this statement today, they will be thinking to themselves, 'What about now? What about the current state of the rail service?' I think they'll be pleased to hear the aspirations, but they'll still be asking that question.

In your statement, you refer to the appointment of 22 Transport for Wales ambassadors to encourage people to use public transport, but people don't and they won't choose to use the railway network now because the rail network is so unreliable. I don't say that off-the-cuff—I can give plenty of evidence for that through the postbag over the summer period. And I would make the point as well that the Government, of course, does already have a lot of levers at its disposal with regard to passenger experience, which has been consistently below par in recent times—we've seen cancelled trains, delayed trains, lack of staff, overcrowding, signaling problems, short-form trains, and a lack of quality information when issues do occur. Between October and July, we saw that only 73 per cent of services arrived on the Cambrian line on time. So, I'm trying not to be negative to what are good, positive aspirations from you, which I agree with you—.

You say in your statement that Transport for Wales has the structure, expertise and processes in place to take new responsibilities and powers, but I genuinely do struggle with that statement, because I do see there's little evidence of that so far to date. So, I would like to ask you, perhaps, Minister, whether you feel that any additional resources are required for Transport for Wales to deliver their job effectively now, and certainly into the future, taking on the extra responsibilities that you've outlined.

The Llywydd took the Chair.

With regard to the Minister's assertion that there's been a decade of underinvestment in our rail network, I wonder if the Minister welcomes the UK Government's investment of more than £2 billion in the Wales route between 2019 and 2024, which will be a record investment in Wales's railway and an increase of 28 per cent on the last control period. I would also be grateful if the Minister could provide an update on the transfer of ownership of the Valleys lines, details of the financial settlement accompanying the transfer, and a timetable for construction of the new network. And I wonder if the Minister could also provide an update on the development of the Welsh Government's new station proposals, specifically when you anticipate to officially release the results of the stage 2 assessment for new stations, the anticipated start date for stage 3, and how long you anticipate the duration of stage 3 will be.

In conclusion, Presiding Officer, I agree that it is important that this Parliament has the opportunity to scrutinise all of the decisions taken regarding rail policy in Wales, and more of the decisions taken on Welsh rail policy I believe should be taken closer to the people of Wales.

Llywydd, can I thank Russell George for his contribution, for his questions? I very much welcome the cross-party support that the Government gratefully has for its position on devolution of rail. I think the Member makes an important case for the integration not just of track and train, but of various modes of transport, and that's precisely what we are intending to do by having rail devolved to Wales. I think the Member is also right that passengers right now will be reflecting on the services that they use in the present moment.

Now, we are on a journey, a £5 billion journey—Russell George rightly identifies recent challenges that have, in no small part, been due to historic underinvestment in the rail network. And Russell rightly identified, for example, signalling failures, which are due to a lack of investment in recent times. I would welcome the UK Government's commitment to spend additional resources across the Wales route network. However, I would also remind Members of the very significant resource that the Welsh Government has invested in rail infrastructure in recent years—which has not been a responsibility; we've done it regardless. And, in recent times, I think the Wales Audit Office were able to calculate that something in the region of £362 million has been contributed by the Welsh Government to wider public spending on Welsh railways.

The Welsh Government has also invested £226 million in rail infrastructure enhancement projects, including using European Union structural funds. This has been vitally important, given that, in recent times—the recent control period—we have not seen the spend that has been required within the Wales route network. The Department for Transport, I am pleased to say, is now committed to develop the following cases to the next case of their pipeline process: they have determined that the north Wales coastline does require speed improvements, that line-speed improvements are necessary between Cardiff and Swansea, and that relief line upgrades between the Severn Tunnel junction and Cardiff are also required.

It's worth noting, however, Llywydd, that line-speed improvements on the Wrexham to Bidston line did not produce a strong case for progression. However, I'm very pleased to say that it's been agreed that improvements to this line will be considered and developed by Network Rail in the context of a wider scheme that considers conductivity all the way from Liverpool to Wrexham as part of the vision for the north Wales metro. Now, these are welcome commitments, Llywydd; these are very welcome commitments. And it's clear that these have to be taken forward at great pace and with much better engagement with the Welsh Government and local stakeholders.

In terms of other recent challenges that we faced on the route, Members will recall in the autumn of last year challenges due to the fact that we inherited a fleet without wheel-slide protection. Wheel-slide protection, I'm pleased to say, has now been applied to those trains that didn't have the systems in place. It's part of a £14-million investment in the existing fleet whilst those new trains are being built.

I'm also pleased to say that Transport for Wales and Network Rail have an excellent partnership and a fantastic degree of communication, which has not always been there, I think it's fair to say. And Network Rail, I'm pleased to say, has spent something in the region of £3 million dealing with vegetation along the railway lines. That's absolutely crucial. Specific lines in Wales faced challenges last year because of excessive vegetation.

I do believe that Transport for Wales has ramped up activity and expertise very rapidly, but, of course, as additional functions are transferred to the body, additional expertise and human resources will be required. At the start of the 15-year journey, we said that Transport for Wales would be recruiting scores of new people to key roles and, in addition, that Transport for Wales would require, as and when necessary, expertise to deliver additional functions. That's something that is ongoing and, of course, if and, we hope, when devolution of responsibilities transfer to Welsh Government, we would expect to see additional expertise acquired by Transport for Wales.

In terms of the core Valleys line asset transfer, well, the transfer is due to be completed imminently in the coming months, and the time frame for construction of the metro, I am pleased to say, remains in line with the vision outlined when we launched the franchise agreement. Trains are being built and services will commence as expected and as outlined in the original document published in the autumn of 2018. There are, of course, enormous challenges across the UK within the sector in acquiring rolling stock at this moment in time, but we're confident that we'll be able to meet the December timetable changes with the fleet that we have and with rolling stock that can be brought onto the tracks in time.

In terms of the stations that we would wish to see developed, I'm pleased to say that we've identified those stations within the actual document that we have published, but they will require agreement from UK Government to fund them. One of the big problems that we've had in recent times with the funding of infrastructure in the UK is that the Treasury Green Book essentially leads to investment being prioritised and channelled to those areas where there is the greatest intensity of populations. That means, by and large, the south-east of London. We wish to see a different model adopted across the UK and, certainly, within Wales, we are doing just that—trying to spread investment more equally across all regions in order to balance opportunities for growth and prosperity and to address imbalances in terms of wealth and employment opportunities.

I could speak here about the challenges that we face with the railways that we have at present, and they are significant challenges and I hope that the Minister is aware of them. People won't be patient forever, waiting for the new trains where the timetables have been slipping. There is frustration about the lack of toilets and about the slowness of the introduction of bilingualism on the trains and so forth, and we'll continue to hold the Government to account on those issues.

But we're talking here today about plans, and strategic plans in the long term to strengthen our rail infrastructure in Wales. I do greatly welcome the report that we have before us outlining the vision to take more responsibility for developing the infrastructure. I welcome it because we as a party have been calling for this for many years. It does reflect what we have been saying, and, as we heard from the Minister, it reflects the consensus that has developed now within the National Assembly here. But we know, whether it's with trains or with the devolution of air passenger duty, consensus in this place is not sufficient to persuade a Government in another place to act in a way that benefits Wales.

As an additional point, the answer to me and to an increasing number of people in Wales is that we take more responsibility by becoming our own state, setting our own direction as an independent country. But certainly here we have a plan for what the Government should do at once to devolve responsibility for the railways in Wales and the funding to accompany it. We know that there has been great underinvestment in Wales, that 1 per cent of the funding available to improve the network in the UK has been spent in Wales, while 11 per cent of the railways are here—that is, improving the railways, not just maintaining them, which has to happen anyway. We have to have the ability to invest in extending our railways. It's astonishing. You look at the map and you have to remind yourself—with roads, we think about how we improve roads between the north and south. There is not one rail line that runs from the north to the south of Wales unless it goes across the border. And it is possible to do this.

I'm pleased to see the reference to opening that corridor down to the west, to investing from Amlwch down to Bangor and then through Caernarfon down towards Aberystwyth, and then opening that line from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen. We have to have that ambition. People say these are major investments, but look at the investment that's happening in England at present, where you have £56 billion going to HS2, £30 billion going to Crossrail 2, £70 billion going to Transport for the North. We're talking about small change here in order to create rail infrastructure that can unify us as a country.

So, I do welcome the fact that this document does refer to reopening the west line, from Amlwch to Swansea, and I'd welcome some additional comments from the Minister on that, because, as the Government says in this statement, these are some of our most valuable assets socially and economically, and, if there is a line that's not being used at present, well, we should be doing everything to ensure that that asset is used as much as possible for our communities.

The only other question—I'd welcome a comment on the timetable that you would foresee, Minister, about how to move this forward from now, encompassing the Williams review, and when you'd expect a response from the UK Government and so forth.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rhun ap Iorwerth makes a number of crucially important points in his contribution, principally the need to reflect on the huge sums of money that are being invested just across the border—£150 billion—in improving rail infrastructure, and just a fraction of that money could open up huge opportunities. The Member identifies the north-south links that currently exist and that could exist. Now, the current north-south services do travel across the border; they reflect the functional economy of the north Wales-north-west cross-border area and the functional economy of mid Wales with the west midlands, but that should not prevent us from investing in other infrastructure that connects the north and the south further west, where there is not the intensity of population growth. It's my view that we should be powering the regions and empowering the regions to become more prosperous, and that means investing in those areas that feel left behind, and that, in some cases, may well have been left behind as urban centres have seen economic growth fuelled in recent times.

The timetable for delivery of our vision—and I do thank the Member for sharing and supporting our vision—is largely dependent on UK Government decisions on how to respond to the Williams review and the time frame based on the orderly transfer of powers and budgets to the Welsh Government. But I've said in the vision document that this is a 20-year vision for improving infrastructure and increasing services and service frequencies across the Wales route.

I think there is consensus across the Chamber here that is beginning to influence a Chamber in another place. I detect recently a change of heart within Westminster towards the possible devolution of responsibilities and funding for rail. I have to say I've enjoyed a number of conversations with the new Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, recently, primarily concerning, of course, the challenge faced by the collapse of Thomas Cook, but one specific conversation concerning the potential devolution of responsibilities for rail and devolution of an appropriate funding settlement. That conversation will be one of many that will happen in the coming months, as he determines how to respond to Williams, and as I continue to press for devolution. I said in my statement as well that I am now confident that our submission to the Williams review will be viewed favourably, and we await very keenly the full review to be concluded, delivered to UK Government, and a response accordingly.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, like Russell George, rightly said that many passengers will reflect on the services that they currently have, and what I would say is that, right now, we are improving stations across the Wales and borders network. By Christmas, an additional 150 stations will have undergone a thorough deep clean. We are recruiting those ambassadors, we are creating more community partnership schemes. Trains are being built right now, including here in Wales, at CAF in Newport. The Holton curve service is now up and running between Liverpool and Wrexham. 

I'd just like to make a very small point on toilets on tram trains. I think recently some misinformation has been relayed to Members of this Chamber and the general public concerning toilets on trains. There will be three lines in the metro area where tram trains will operate. Those lines are lines where we wish to see extendibility, i.e. services extend into other communities—into town centres, for example. And for obvious reasons, you cannot run trains like Pacers on roads. You simply cannot do it. And therefore, you have to look for a solution that enables you to run vehicles on roads and at the same time on existing rail tracks. Nowhere on this planet, as the First Minister said earlier, will you find a metro-type system that also offers toilets on board. The only one that does is in Germany, but it doesn't offer toilets that are compatible with legislation in this country concerning persons of restricted mobility. So, instead, we made the decision to invest very heavily indeed—£15 million is already being spent on stations within the Wales and borders area, primarily within the metro—to ensure that we have improved, step-free access at 99 per cent of metro stations, and toilets that are accessible for disabled travellers and those with restricted mobility. It means that 95 per cent of passengers will never be more than around about 10 minutes from a toilet. And that is incredibly important, given the debate that has happened recently, to reflect on.

I think also the Member has made a very important point concerning developing an ongoing, I think, effort to influence the UK Government to make the right decision on this. I’ll be updating Members whenever stages are reached in terms of the Williams review, but I think it would be helpful at the appropriate time for this Chamber to make another collective submission, perhaps when the UK Government is ready to respond to Williams review, that pushes, on all sides, for devolution of responsibilities and funding.

Can I thank the Minister for the statement? You say in your statement that your first task is to address the legacy of historic lack of investment in improving the railways in Wales. We wholeheartedly support you in your endeavours in this regard. Wales has always suffered from a lack of funding necessary to improve the rail infrastructure, so it is right that we should look be masters of our own destiny with regard to our entire rail infrastructure. We should be free to create a railway system fit for purpose in serving the people of Wales.

We, of course, cannot talk about the devolution settlement given to Wales without comparison with that given to Scotland, and the devolution of the rail network is no exception to this. It cannot be right that Scotland has been afforded complete control, together with the necessary funding, for its entire railway network, whilst Wales has to contend with such a piecemeal approach by the UK Government. Minister, you rightly point out that we cannot create the rail network envisaged in the regional metro and station improvement schemes, not to mention the strategic corridor developments, without the necessary competences and funding being fully devolved, and I’m confident that we can significantly improve on the hugely expensive Network Rail development costs. In other words, spend funding much more efficiently than that which currently exists. We’re already seeing the improvements that devolved powers can afford with the improvements under the new borders franchise, and I’m confident that we shall see the same improvements on the core Valleys lines under the development programme outlined by the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales.

Is it therefore fair that other parts of the Wales rail network should lag behind because the Welsh Government lacks the competences and funding to make the necessary improvements? We in the Brexit Party recognise that rail infrastructure is critical of the development of the Welsh economy, and we shall support you fully in your endeavours to have the rail network and its components fully devolved to Wales with, of course, all the necessary funding needed to achieve Wales's railway ambitions.

Can I thank David Rowlands for his contribution and also welcome his support for our vision and our position on the devolution of responsibilities and funding for rail infrastructure? I think David Rowlands makes an important point that we need a transport system that is fit for purpose, and rail is integral to that. We do want parity with Scotland. It's quite obvious. Other parts of the UK enjoy the ability to be able to operate services and invest in infrastructure in the way that we would wish to here in Wales.

I think the Member makes an important point about the efficiency of spending and the outcomes of investments. One of our frustrations in recent times has concerned the excessive cost of some improvements to rail infrastructure and the fact that some projects have fallen short in terms of outcomes. For example, I could point to the improvements on the north-south services and the overrun on costs of the work that was undertaken in the attempt to reduce journey times. Those journey times, incidentally, did not reduce as much as was originally anticipated. We would like to take control of such work and I think it's only right then that we would then take full accountability if any work did not meet with the expectations of the public.

No part of Wales should lag behind another part of Wales because of a lack of funding. That's why we've been very clear that the devolution of responsibilities should be accompanied by devolution of funding. The metro in the south-east of Wales enjoys significant investment as part of the growth deal for the region. But, in the coming months and years, we will see improvements within other metro areas and in those areas where there are no metro plans yet devised. In particular, I can point to investments that are coming down the track in north-east Wales, where we are seeing investment being pumped into the Deeside industrial estate park and ride scheme, into improvements for bus pilot scheme opportunities right across Wales, and the money that we're spending in the south-west of Wales to develop further the vision for the south-west Wales—the Swansea bay area—metro scheme.

But, in order to deliver on this vision and in order to deliver on all of the aims and objectives captured in the written statement that I've outlined today, it will require a significant investment. But, it's not an investment that we should not expect, based on our population and historic underinvestment in rail infrastructure in recent times. 

Can I say, Minister, I very much welcome the overall vision that you've outlined to us this afternoon? I think it's fair to say that the one thing that unites people on all sides of this Chamber is an absolute determination that the people of Wales deserve far better than we've received in terms of funding and powers over railways over the last few years. I very much welcome what you said and I welcome your confidence that the Keith Williams review will report positively later this year. I will be grateful if you could give us any further update on progress and a timetable for the publication of his review and then any subsequent devolution of responsibilities. I don't think I'm alone here when I feel utter frustration when I see the way in which the Department for Transport of the UK Government throws money into some communities while starves other communities of any investment at all, and certainly Wales has been in that position year after year, no matter what the colour of the Government happens to have been.

I think the Ebbw valley line, which we've already heard people speaking about this afternoon, is an example of the failure of this settlement. You've answered a question earlier this afternoon, Minister, about the devolution responsibility for the Valleys lines, but of course the Ebbw valley line is not regarded as a core Valleys line even though it serves a population that is largely the same as the lines served to Merthyr, to Rhymney, to Aberdare or to Treherbert. That demonstrates the complexity and fragmentation that you spoke of in your statement in February that affects people's daily lives today. This isn't an academic conversation about constitutional theory, but it's about how we are able to invest in the infrastructure that sustains our economy today.

For us in Ebbw Vale and for us in Blaenau Gwent, the priorities are clear for the Ebbw valley line. We want to see the new rolling stock that we've been promised. We need four trains an hour. Now, I understand, Minister, and we've had conversations about this in the past, that work is ongoing amongst your officials, and I hope that you will be able to report to us when you would expect to see two trains going down the line, in the first instance, and then four trains an hour eventually. We've been told that it's 2024 when we can expect that. Clearly, that's something I would want to bring forward if it's at all possible.

And the final point is that about Abertillery. A station in Abertillery would have an enormous impact on the vitality of that town and the ability of people living in the whole of the Ebbw Fach valley to access the rail network and the new metro system. That is something that is important. You spoke earlier about the models currently used by the Department for Transport in England to determine where new stations are placed and where new services are offered, but of course that model will never deliver either a station in Abertillery or anywhere else in the Heads of the Valleys or the Valleys network because it doesn't fulfil the criterion that is set down by the UK Government. We therefore need a model that will deliver for people in Wales and will deliver for people in the Valleys of south Wales particularly in this instance, both in terms of delivering new stations, but also in terms of other infrastructure upgrades and new services.

The final question I'd like to ask you in terms of the specific issues in south-east Wales is about electrification and propulsion. Now, I'm not one of those people who are at all hung up about having electric trains wherever they're needed. However, we do know that they provide a far better journey experience and we do know that they provide a far greater impact in terms of climate change and decarbonisation. So, I want to be able to see how you would be able to deliver electrification on the Ebbw valley line to ensure that we are able to be plugged in to the metro system and not adjacent to it. Presiding Officer, the statement this afternoon has provided Members with an opportunity to debate how we want to take this forward. I hope that we can debate these matters on more regular occasions, but I also hope that, through the devolution of responsibility and budgets to the Welsh Government, we can ensure that we have here the ability to invest in rail but also to invest in a multimodal and integrated transport system that delivers, either by rail or by bus or by tram, for people up and down the country, and we can start to make the vision that the Minister has outlined today a reality. 

Can I thank Alun Davies for his contribution, his questions and the important points that he's made? If I could just pick up on the issue of investment and the model that's adopted by the UK Government through the Treasury Green Book, essentially, a calculation based on the benefit-cost ratio will always lead to investment in those areas that are already wealthy and where there are large numbers of wealthy people, because you are always able to calculate a better return if you can deliver for those communities. And as a consequence, it's no wonder that people in more deprived communities, communities that already face severe challenges, have felt left behind in recent decades. It's my view that that Treasury Green Book, that set of rules that determines how money is invested by the UK Government, needs to be reformed, and it's something that I would very much welcome. It's something that is in the hands of existing Ministers, it's something that could be in the hands of a future Government, but I think it needs to be done in order to rebalance the UK economy. 

Alun Davies also makes the important point about the role that electric trains have in improving journey times. Electric trains accelerate quicker and therefore can lead to reduced dwell time at stations, but they can also lead to reduced journey times between stations. We're going to be utilising tri-mode and bi-mode trains on the Wales and borders franchise network. It could be in the future that we adopt hydrogen-powered trains as well, and it's my hope that, as we deliver the global rail centre of excellence in south Wales, we will see hydrogen-powered trains tested for mass roll-out in years to come.

We are, indeed, working to deliver four trains per hour on the Ebbw line by 2024, but it is my hope that if at all possible we can bring that date forward, we will bring that date forward. Of course, if there was the ability to draw down the amount of money that we believe we should be entitled to for rail infrastructure investment, we would see additional stations, including potentially at Abertillery. But, I would not wish to adopt the same formula that the UK Government adopts. I wish to adopt an approach that leads to wealth being more fairly distributed, and opportunity to create wealth distributed more fairly across Wales.

In terms of the Ebbw line not being classed as a core Valleys line, I think it makes no sense to anybody that it's not part of that defined core Valleys line asset. The reason, of course, is because services have to run on the south Wales main line, which is not devolved. But, to not categorise the Ebbw Vale line as a core Valleys line, I'm afraid, sometimes gives the impression that it is a secondary service line. It is not. It is absolutely integral to our vision for fully integrated public transport and it is absolutely our intention to deliver metro services on the Ebbw line, and, in doing so, I think redefine it as part of the core Valleys lines area, even if we don't yet have responsibility for the full component of the line that trains currently use.

In terms of the Williams timetable, it's not been set by the Welsh Government. We have very little influence over when Keith Williams reports, and how and when the UK Government responds, but I will inform Members of any progress and any developments. If possible, I'll do that ahead of any announcements that are made by Keith Williams or the UK Government.

Llywydd, I meant to say in response to the first contributor that Transport for Wales officials will be here tomorrow, between 11.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m., to answer any questions concerning current services.

I agree with Russell George, and with some of what Rhun ap Iorwerth said. I welcome this broad-ranging discussion. The future of the railways does look secure, but we do need to consider the current situation too.

With that in mind, what dialogue does he have with Transport for Wales with regard to the Rhymney-to-Cardiff line, because we have seen some steps back in progress in recent months? Complaints about seating, particularly, have increased, and that is disappointing given the extra work that Transport for Wales have done to improve seating. What dialogue has he had about that? Also, can he confirm that, despite the debate today, there will be toilets on the Rhymney-to-Cardiff line in the new system?

Can I thank Hefin David for his questions and for his contribution today? Let me be absolutely clear over which services will have trains that will still have toilets, and that will have toilets that are compatible with legislation concerning persons of restricted mobility. On the metro network, train services on the Rhymney line, on the Maesteg line, on the Ebbw line and on the Vale of Glamorgan line will all retain onboard toilet facilities. Tram trains will run on three lines, as I said earlier: they will run on the Treherbert, Merthyr and Aberdare lines. I hope that answers all queries regarding this issue about toilets.

In terms of capacity on the existing fleet, we are stretching every sinew to identify solutions to deal with capacity issues across the network, but we do recognise that there is a particular problem within the metro area, and that's why we are making every effort to identify rolling stock wherever we can across the UK to bring it into use here in Wales as soon as possible.

We're out of the time allocated by the Government for this statement now. I have a number of speakers still wanting to be called. This is an early warning system, then. It's one question from now on, and I'll see if I can call all of the speakers I have on my list. John Griffiths, give it a go.

Diolch, Llywydd. I very much welcome your ambition and commitment to put Wales in a more powerful position, Minister, in terms of deciding the infrastructure and the services that we have here in Wales. As I only have one question, I will limit it then to the issue of the Magor walkway train station, which has, as you will know, a great deal of local community support, and I think is very much in line with what you talk about in terms of understanding and meeting local needs, and very much factoring community benefit into the development that takes place. So, I just wondered what you could say, Minister, in terms of the proposals for the Magor walkway station, and how that fits in with your ambitions for the future of rail in Wales.

The Member makes a really important point, actually, about how we assess where money should be invested and, at the moment, we have to assess that on the basis of the formula and the criteria that the UK Government Department for Transport utilises. In the future, as I've said, in the document that's been published today alongside the written statement and alongside this oral statement, I would have wished to adopt a different model to determine investment in stations across the network, based on some of the unique criteria that we've developed here in Wales, including, for example, the Welsh transport appraisal guidance system of appraising investment opportunities.

I think the Magor walkway station proposal has enormous potential and has great support from across the Chamber and from within the community. At the moment, we are constrained by the model that's adopted by UK Government for investing in stations, but, of course, if we had devolution of the responsibilities and the funding, we could adopt a different set of criteria for assessing programmes. Indeed, it may well be that if we had such a resource available to us we could include several more projects on the list that I've published today. 

I also welcome the ambition in this. This is what devolution is about; it's taking those powers and the funding to go with those powers to further transform the rail network, and to move people from their car transport into other modes of transport. Could I ask just one question, Llywydd—only one question? Could we have an update, please, on the date for the introduction of the Sunday service on the Maesteg line, part of the current transformation, and the date for the study that has been done by Network Rail on increasing the frequency of services on that line as well?

I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for his two questions. [Laughter.] What I'll do is, I'll actually prime TfW officials tomorrow to provide that information—the very, very latest information—concerning the timetable change and the study date cut-off, which the Member has pointed to. 

I too welcome the work the Minister is doing in this field, particularly within the north Wales region with regard to the cross-border, the Halton Curve developments and also the improvements on Deeside industrial estate. Minister, would you agree with me that transport, as I discussed at a conference in Deeside last Friday, that the sustainable development goals, such as prevention, integration, collaboration and involvement, can be at the heart of the Government's ambition as well, not just for our railways but for our whole integrated transport network?

Yes, indeed, and in my response to John Griffiths I pointed to WelTAG, the tool that we adopt for infrastructure investment. Primarily it's concerned with road infrastructure, but it could also extend beyond roads to include all forms of infrastructure, including social infrastructure. It's also utilised at present when we look at where we invest our precious resource in rail-based infrastructure. So, yes, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 is considered within the WelTAG process, and that process is already adopted for certain infrastructure considerations, but I'd like to see it extend further.

Can I welcome the comments made by Jack Sargeant concerning the Halton Curve? I'm pleased to say that services on the Halton Curve have attracted a higher patronage than was originally expected.  

I also welcome an ambitious and inspirational transformational multi-modal integrated transport system for Wales. Minister, what opportunities does the Williams rail review offer the Welsh Government to take further responsibilities for the creation of new stations and the expanding Welsh tram footprint for a cleaner, greener Wales?  

Huge opportunities. If we had a settlement that reflected our need, then clearly, based on historic underfunding, that settlement would be enormous and would lead us to be able to invest, not just in the infrastructure, but also in encouraging behavioural change that could lead to modal shift as well. And whether it be in new stations, new railway lines or other associated infrastructure such as park-and-ride facilities, if we had the devolution of responsibilities with the devolution of appropriate funding, I believe we could implement a major step change in terms of driving people away from private transport to public transport.

Excellent pace in the last five minutes. Thank you, everybody, for your succinctness.

Thank you, Minister.