Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:48 pm on 21 September 2021.
Diolch, Llywydd. Last week, the UK Government revealed that pollution levels from nitrogen dioxide in the new Great Western Railway's bi-mode trains were, on average, five times higher, and, at peak levels, 20 times higher than those recorded on Wales's most polluted street, Hafodyrynys Road near Crumlin—deemed so bad, it is this week being demolished. The Rail Standards and Safety Board's study was conducted only on the section of the line from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, where the trains mostly use their electric motors, and not along the Welsh section, where, out of necessity, diesel is largely used, and the consequent levels of pollution are likely to be even higher. Will the Welsh Government ask the board urgently to extend its monitoring to Wales—north and south—so we can know what the current position is regarding pollution on the Welsh railway network?