2. Will the Minister provide an update on the progress of the north Wales metro? OQ56973

Yes. I recently agreed a further £9.3 million of funding to local authorities and Transport for Wales for projects supporting the development and delivery of the north Wales metro, including enhancements to active travel, bus and rail infrastructure across the north.

Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your updates on the progress of the north Wales metro. And I'm sure Members from across the Chamber will welcome the speeding up of this project, actually, and the benefits it could have for the people of north Wales. Initially, these plans were proposed in 2016, for delivery in around 2035—so, a nearly 20-year timescale to see a north Wales metro take place. I'm not sure that's acceptable any more, and certainly in times of a climate emergency and encouraging more people onto public transport. So, I'd ask the Deputy Minister what he will do to speed up this programme of work and see this programme of work expand in north Wales.

Thank you. Well, the metros in different parts of Wales are at different ranges of development. The south Wales metro, for example, is more advanced, and it's a massively complex project. The one in north Wales is a different mix of modes—there are fewer train lines than you have in the south Wales Valleys, for example,  and so bus has a far greater role to play, as does active travel. I think one of the challenges we have is the capacity of local authorities. I had a meeting with local authority leaders this morning, along with the rest of my Cabinet colleagues, and we discussed this—how we can use the corporate joint committees to pool knowledge and know-how and people to try and create extra capacity, working alongside Transport for Wales.

Again, we have an example in Newport, where the Burns delivery unit has created a model where Transport for Wales, the local authority and the Welsh Government are working cheek by jowl to deliver the schemes set out in the Burns report. And that, I think, could be a model for the north. I had a meeting with the North Wales Economic Ambition Board transport sub-group—that's a mouthful, isn't it—on Friday morning, in which I discussed this very challenge, and I asked them to think about how they'd be willing to pool resources together and how we could help them, both to fund that and to make sure it's operationalised. But the north Wales metro, I think, has got huge potential. It will happen in phases, but, given the imperative of acting on climate change and achieving modal shift, it is a key development for the region.

As a Flintshire councillor, and previous streetscene and highways cabinet member, and also a member of the committee you mentioned earlier, I'm aware of the significant funding across the region—metro funding. However, to raise awareness and increase engagement across north Wales, we need to have delivery of the distinctive metro branding linking the stations, bus transport, cycle routes and park-and-rides that Welsh Government have funded, working with local authorities. Also, artists' impressions of proposed new stations would be really good as well. It would just help raise awareness and increase engagement with our communities of the work that's taking place and is due to take place in the future. Would the Deputy Minister provide an update regarding the metro branding and signage that I believe Transport for Wales were to lead on in 2021? Thank you. 

Well, thank you for the question, and I certainly agree with you that branding imagery is really important to generate an excitement amongst people that change is coming, and to give people faith that change is coming too. So, I take the point on board. I am discussing this with TfW around the south Wales metro, so I promise to add that to the conversations I'm having and keep the Member updated; I think it's a strong point she makes. 

I thank my colleague from across the Chamber, Mr Rowlands, for tabling this important question, and I do agree with my colleague Carolyn Thomas as well because it is an important question. It's important that the north Wales metro delivers for generations to come, and it is that transport network, as the Minister agrees, that north Wales does deserve. 

For residents in Alyn and Deeside, this is about delivering the Flintshire corridor to act as a spine of the north Wales metro, but it's also about creating key transport hubs to achieve a fully integrated, multimodal system. Does the Minister agree with me that delivering the Flintshire corridor is essential to ensure residents in my community of Alyn and Deeside will benefit from the north Wales metro, a very important project?

Well, I ought to commend the Member on his ingenuity of trying to present this in this way. Of course, the Flintshire corridor is a 13 km, two-lane dual carriageway, so it's not immediately apparent to me that it's an integral part of the north Wales metro, and also it is covered by the roads review scheme, and I couldn't pre-empt what decisions they make, because, obviously, as part of the review, new road schemes do have a role. We're not ruling out any new road building, but it should not be the default solution to any transport problems. I think that needs to be the big change. So, I anticipate seeing far fewer road schemes, and that those road schemes that are taken forward have a very clear criteria and reason for them. Whether or not the Flintshire corridor meets those tests is something that the roads review scheme will be looking at over the next year.