Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:43 pm on 25 February 2020.
Minister, I just want to raise a few points with regard to your report and your references to the south-east Wales metro. As you know, in the Taff Ely area, there's been considerable economic regeneration from the development of the metro. That's had a massive impact on Pontypridd itself. But of course, it was only a few weeks ago that we saw all this publicity over an announcement by the Prime Minister of £500 million for opening new lines. It received considerable coverage.
Yet, for a number of years now, we've been talking about and having discussions between—quite advanced discussions now—Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff council, and of course various representations have been made, which Welsh Government's involved in, and that is for the re-opening of a railway line from Cardiff through to the Beddau spur, through to Llantrisant, Pontyclun, which would link. Some 85 per cent to 90 per cent of that railway line still actually exists. And of course, it is an area where, over the next decade or so, there are going to be 20,000 or so new homes. So, it is an area where there is a massive expansion of population and no capacity on the roads and so on.
Now, as you'll know, Minister, there's a report, a business plan, that's being prepared—it was funded by the councils, et cetera—that is due for publication soon, I think. None of us has seen it, and I'm not quite sure whether it is quite complete yet. I wonder if you could update us as to what the status is now of that report and what the next steps are likely to be with what is, I think, a really exciting potential project, and that is the re-opening of an old railway line in an area that is massively congested—massive economic growth—and where there are major environmental issues that can be resolved by that.