5. Will the First Minister make a statement on investment in the railway network in south-west Wales? OQ56557

I thank the Member. We continue to make significant investment in the rail network in south-west Wales, including a new station at St Clears, brand new rolling stock and improvements to stations across the region. Our consultation on improving rail services in south-west Wales closes today.

I'm grateful to the First Minister for his written answer to my question relating to the Pencoed level crossing on 26 May. It's encouraging to hear that the final designs and costs of the project will be finalised this year. I fully appreciate that projects of this complexity and scale can take a significant amount of time, however I would say that whispers of this project have been around since before I was doing my GCSEs, which I was shocked to realise was actually a decade ago. But that's the length of time we are talking about here—[Interruption.] That's the length of time we are talking about, First Minister. We aren't talking about a decade between the project's start and completion; the project hasn't even started yet. The third stage of what is known as the Welsh transport appraisal guidance is set to take place this financial year, and that's the third stage out of five. Given the length of time we've been considering this project, I'd be grateful to the First Minister if he could set out a projected timeline for this project's completion. I appreciate he may not be able to give an answer now, but I would certainly welcome a more detailed written response if he feels it's more appropriate. I'm sure he's aware that this project is going to cause significant disruption to the local community, and I'm sure that they would welcome a projected timeline so that they can prepare for it.

Well, Llywydd, I thank the Member for the question. As it happens, I'm very familiar with the level crossing issues at Pencoed, because they've been raised with me very regularly by the local Member Huw Irranca-Davies, and I've even been to visit it myself to make sure that I fully understand the layout of the area and the issues that are at stake there.

There's no doubt at all that the scheme will alleviate road and rail congestion, improve journey times, mitigate flooding—thinking of an earlier question—and improve safety. The Welsh Government has provided nearly £0.5 million to complete the third stage of the WelTAG process, the final design and costing stage. It's being overseen by a steering group that meets quarterly, that includes the local constituency Member, the constituency Member of Parliament, the leader of Bridgend County Borough Council, Pencoed Town Council, Transport for Wales and, crucially, Network Rail, because, in the end, Llywydd, while we can put our money in and do our very best to get the best possible design and the most effective costings for the scheme, rail infrastructure is the responsibility of the UK Government, and Network Rail will have to take these things forward. The fact that they are at the table in the steering group is encouraging, and we will certainly work with them to make sure that this very important scheme for that area is brought to fruition. I heard what the Member said about it being 10 years—[Laughter.]—since he sat his GCSEs. When I read the briefing for this question, Llywydd, I learned that the new St Clears station will replace the one closed in 1964, and I can remember using it. [Laughter.]

Altaf Hussain. Start again, Altaf.

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I congratulate you on your re-election, and I wish you all the best. First Minister, I wish you also all the best in your re-election as the First Minister. First Minister, in March, the Welsh Government consulted on the proposals for a Swansea bay and west Wales metro. One of the proposed benefits of the Swansea bay metro is to maximise the potential for stations to accelerate urban regeneration and major development site delivery. The economic value of investing in our transport network is critical. What economic impact assessment has been carried out to ensure that those benefits are maximised? Thank you.

Llywydd, I thank Altaf Hussain for the question. It's good to hear from him again on the floor of the Senedd. I said in answer to Mr Fletcher that the consultation to which Mr Hussain drew attention closed today. So far, we have around 250 responses to it, and many, many of them focus on the Swansea bay metro idea. So, of course, the Welsh Government is carrying out the necessary economic assessments of proposals to improve metro provision in the Swansea bay area, and the proposals that form the basis of the consultation look for a high-quality, integrated transport system making it easier for citizens in that part of Wales to travel, whether that's by train, by bus, by bike, or, indeed, on foot. We will now analyse the responses to the consultation, and the Minister responsible will return to the floor of the Senedd to make a statement on where the consultation will take us next.