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.