4. Will the First Minister provide an update on the works undertaken on the Treherbert line in Rhondda as part of the south Wales metro? OQ57029

I thank Buffy Williams for that, Llywydd. The electrification and signalling work required to deliver four services per hour on new, greener trains on the Treherbert line has now started and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2023.

Thank you, First Minister. The metro will transform the way that we travel across south Wales, and I couldn't be happier that Rhondda will benefit from the £0.25 billion investment. We've had some real problems on the Treherbert line in the past, so a more modern, more green and more reliable service in the future will really benefit residents in Rhondda Fawr.

One of the only regions in south Wales currently excluded from the plans is Rhondda Fach. Residents in Maerdy face either a two-hour bus journey to Cardiff or the hassle of buying multiple tickets, paying over the odds for the bus and train. We have had train buses linking the Fach and Fawr in the past. What steps will the Welsh Government take to ensure that residents of Rhondda Fach benefit from the south Wales metro?

I thank the Member for what she said about the impact of the work that the Welsh Government is funding on residents of Treherbert. One of the things, Llywydd, that we have certainly learnt about the metro system is that it has lifted the aspirations of many other communities wanting now to share in the investment that is already going on. I had a series of conversations with my colleague Ken Skates about the way in which we could capitalise on the excitement about the investment that the Welsh Government is making in the south Wales metro, the north Wales metro, the metro plans around Swansea, to bring other communities into that picture in the future.

I know that Transport for Wales is working on ideas to improve connectivity for Rhondda Fach, into the investment that's already being planned and delivered for people who live in Treherbert. I think I know that the—. I was told when I visited, anyway, the Taff's Well depot, where I went to see for myself some of the new rolling stock that will be deployed in south Wales, that the Member for the Rhondda was due to make a visit there as well. So, I know that she will have seen for herself the improvements that that will bring.

Of course, the Welsh Government is committed to making sure that as many communities as possible are able to benefit from what is an investment, after all, of over £700 million. I don't like to use the word 'transformation' too often, Llywydd, because I think that it is often overused. But, I genuinely think that in this case, the services will transform what is available to people in those communities. 

Question 6 [OQ56994] was withdrawn. Therefore, question 6—Russell George.