5. Statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales: Future of Rail — Details of the new arrangements

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:02 pm on 3 November 2020.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 5:02, 3 November 2020

I'm grateful to you, Minister, for the statement you've just made as well, and also I'm very grateful to you for the action you've taken to sustain services at this most difficult time, both in terms of providing the funding but the public sector acting as a catalyst for action to guarantee services and jobs as well. And I think, given the statement we had earlier from the First Minister and the statement we've heard from you this afternoon, we've demonstrated the power of a united public sector in Wales being able to underpin public services, and I hope that's a lesson that we will continue to learn into the future.

There are two issues that you will not be surprised that I would want to raise with you this afternoon. The first is about investment and the second is about services serving my own constituency. In terms of investment, Russell George says that the passengers don't care whose name is written on the side of trains. That may well be the case, but they do care about investment. They care deeply about rolling stock, they care deeply about services, they care deeply about the infrastructure, and Wales has been starved of that investment for far too long. A simple look at the mathematics—my 10-year-old could explain to the Conservatives the way that Wales has been poorly treated by the current structures, and it is time for them to change. You've already referenced the Williams review in the statement, and I'd be grateful if you could update Members on where you believe we are at the moment, because we desperately need the investment that is possible to ensure that we do have the best possible services across the whole of Wales. 

And secondly, in terms of the Ebbw Vale line, you and I have discussed on many occasions throughout the last four years the investment that's required both in terms of rolling stock, and we've seen significant investment in that over the last two years, but also in terms of services. Does the current situation—? This is a really important point, I think. Do the current circumstances mean that there is any delay in the potential for additional services from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff? The current timeline is to see additional services from Ebbw Vale next year. Is that still going ahead, or is that affected? We then need the investment to allow four trains an hour down from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff, and we also want to see, of course, investment in the infrastructure serving Abertillery in terms of a new station there. So, those are really key investments to ensure that, in the Ebbw valley, we don't miss out on the advantages of the metro system. And to ensure that that happens, we do need a guarantee or certainly an indication this afternoon that that investment is continuing to be made by the Welsh Government, when we all know that the UK Government is going to walk away from its responsibilities.