5. Will the Minister outline the Welsh Government's priorities for improving public transport within the northern valleys? OAQ54802

Yes, of course. We are moving forward with our ambitious vision to reshape public transport infrastructure and services across Wales, including local bus services, rail services, active travel, the metro projects and, of course, the buses (Wales) Bill.

Thank you, Minister, for that overarching answer. Now, this wasn't the supplementary I planned to ask, but recent disruption to rail services within my community has changed my focus today. I must say, I've had a good relationship with Transport for Wales since they've taken over the services, but the events last week were nothing short of chaotic—trains cancelled, passengers turfed off at random stations, some people's round journey to work taking over four and a half hours there and back, and being dropped off at stations nowhere near their home, with resultant impacts on childcare and all sorts of other pressures. This is simply not acceptable. I appreciate that some issues, like line-side disruption, are beyond Transport for Wales's control, but there needs to be a plan B. Problems accessing replacement buses during rush hour when they're out doing the school run should be anticipated, and there should a fallback plan for that. Much is made of the 15 December timetable changes, but to many of my constituents, disappointment has bred distrust. How is the Welsh Government working with Transport for Wales to get this right? What measures will be put in place to minimise the risk of the problems seen in recent weeks, so that my constituents don't experience such poor services again?

I'd like to thank Vikki Howells for the question, and for raising this matter previously with me directly. I was able to speak again to Transport for Wales this morning, where I impressed upon them the absolute and urgent need to ensure that there are contingency plans in place.

As the Member rightly identifies, on the afternoon of Wednesday, 27 November, there was disruption to TfW services on the Aberdare line due to a signalling problem, which, of course, is managed by Network Rail. The problem was compounded by the difficulty in sourcing replacement buses, because local buses were at that time booked for school transport. There was also a further disruption later that evening when a bus hit a railway bridge, and then Network Rail, rightly so, had to carry out safety inspections to make sure that trains were safe to cross it. TfW did manage to source replacement buses and the line was reopened at 8 o'clock in the evening, but I recognise that many, many of my colleague's constituents were infuriated by the lack of timely service on that particular occasion.

Although these incidents are outside of TfW's control, TfW have assured me that they are urgently reviewing how replacement buses are procured, because they too feel that it's right for passengers to be able to expect services to commence as soon as possible after an incident occurs. I will be writing to Members soon with details of that urgent work and the outcomes from it.

Many people have been interested in the potential for train services to be extended north in the Rhondda valley, and Plaid Cymru have campaigned on this for many years, and I really do hope that it can be brought to fruition by this Government and Transport for Wales. The difference that a new station in Tynewydd could make at the top of the Rhondda would be huge. It would make public transport much more accessible for some of the most isolated communities in my constituency. There's no train line in the Rhondda Fach. There used to be a rail bus link over from Maerdy over the hill to Penrhys to Ystrad station.

What is the latest position on extending the train line into the Rhondda Fawr to Tynewydd? And can you tell us what is the possibility of improving links to the Rhondda Fach in terms of rail? And people in the Rhondda have also been affected by the recent overcrowding problems, and they've had enough of listening to excuses. So, what assurances can you provide that there will be enough capacity for the people in the Rhondda, whether these improvements that I've asked you about this afternoon come to fruition or not?

I can assure people of the Rhondda that we are doing all we can to address capacity issues on the rail network. Importantly, though, we can't view rail service in isolation from other public transport services. I think it's absolutely right that people should expect an integrated bus and rail service, and that's why next year we'll be introducing legislation to this Chamber concerning the planning and delivery of local bus services, so that we can reintroduce franchising, so that we can allow municipal bus companies to be formed, so that we can integrate ticketing and timetabling and so that we do have that sort of integrated service that existed. I think it was the Rhondda Fach rail and bus link service that I think people in the Rhondda valued. We wish to see more of those type of integrated public transport services rolled out across Wales.

In terms of the extendability of the metro, this is one of the most exciting pieces of work that has been undertaken at the moment—the future phases of the metro—the framework is being completed by Welsh Government. We're already delivering five new stations under the franchise agreement with the operator and development partner. And in the future, as part of the south Wales metro vision, we will see more stations opened, more old railway lines reopened, and new railway lines introduced.

Can I tell the Minister that people on every single station stop from Maesteg to Cardiff are really looking forward to the introduction of the refurbished 170 carriages, and the Sunday service from the middle of this month? It's going to be a real shot in the arm for that line and for frequency of services, particularly on a Sunday. And I thank him for his written reply that I've had today on my next campaign, which is later trains out of Cardiff to every stop along the lines to Maesteg.

But can I just say, three of my valleys—and I repeatedly say this—the Garw, the Ogmore and the Gilfach valleys, are entirely served by bus transport. Now, for example, in the Upper Garw valley, without—. There are nearly 30 per cent of people in the Upper Garw without access to private transport, and 15 per cent more than the national average classified as semi-skilled, unskilled manual or lower grade occupations, or unemployed, trying to access work. The community is classified by the Office for National Statistics as 100 per cent rural and we rely entirely on buses. Fifty per cent of the population there travel to work between 10km and 30km, and they rely on buses. So, could I ask him: what hope can I give to those constituents that, as we take these reforms forward, particularly in terms of undoing the disastrous bus deregulation of those decades ago, we can have a bus service that is designed locally and regionally, that goes to the places where people want to go, at the time they want to go, with affordable ticket prices that they can afford to pay for, that is for the people and not for the benefit of shareholders?

Well, the Member is absolutely right: we will be designing, through legislation and further reforms, a transport system for buses and for other transport forms that meet passenger interests over profit motive. And, whether it be through the creation of municipal bus companies, through the reintroduction of franchising, through other reforms, we will deliver improved bus transport that is integrated with rail. 

Now, the Member raises the important point of the timetabling of services to ensure that people who work out of hours are able to get to and from employment. A good example of how Welsh Government is intervening in this area right now comes with the Valleys to work transport pilot, which has been developed with the Department for Work and Pensions, and we've been able to announce an out-of-hours minibus pilot to take people into employment. I think that is a great example of how, working in a sub-regional way, with all partners, we are able to provide opportunities for people to get to and from work on public transport at inconvenient hours. 

Question 6 [OAQ54787] has been withdrawn. Question 7, Nick Ramsay.