3. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Metro

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:36 pm on 20 October 2021.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 3:36, 20 October 2021

Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, there is not a Bill that is in the offing of the legislative programme that different campaigners don't want done in the first year of this Senedd term, and clearly we can't do them all in the first year of this Senedd term. So, the First Minister and the Counsel General are currently looking at the best way to manage that logjam. I would say that the pause does allow us a chance to be more ambitious, and we are now working with the local authorities and operators to see if we can design a bus Bill that is going to be more radical and more effective than the one that we previously had conceived. So, I think this is an exciting opportunity for us to up our ambition, and that is something we are definitely committed to do. 

In terms of the Grange, I think the Grange is a case study of something we need to learn really and not allow this to happen again, and that's why I said in the statement why it's so important for the CJCs and the local authorities to come together and take their responsibilities seriously so they can plan transport alongside other services, so we're not creating out-of-town developments that aren't served by public transport. And, of course, in this instance, it's the Welsh Government itself—it's the NHS planning that is to blame for creating a large trip-generating site away from public transport networks. And never again I think we should say that this be allowed to happen.

And, so, I'm frustrated that we haven't been able to make greater progress in getting a bus service to the Grange as we have discussed previously. The latest update I have for the Member is that there is an hourly bus service, No. 29, operated by Newport Bus, that links the hospital to Cwmbran and Newport via Caerleon every hour, seven days a week. In terms of his specific point about the valleys he represents, then there will be a new direct bus service to the hospital from key centres in Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf in the next six months subject to funding being identified, and then we will be looking to see how we can bake that into the metro enhancements that we are planning. And I realise that is not as good as it should have been, and I apologise for that, but that is something we are still progressing.

And in terms of his final point about the rail links, as he knows, from this December, there will be an hourly service between Cross Keys and Newport, and we have given a £70 million loan to Blaenau Gwent to upgrade the infrastructure so that we can have a new service extending all the way from Ebbw Vale to Newport, which he's been campaigning for consistently, and it will now be delivered. And in terms of the Abertillery link, this is something that is the responsibility of the UK Government and it's not part of the devolved settlement. But our £70 million investment does create a spur to Abertillery which allows that investment to take place when the UK Government is finally willing to step up and support the network as it should.