Russell George tells Wales' First Minister that public transport in mid Wales is 'pretty abysmal'

Watch Russell George tells Wales' First Minister that public transport in mid Wales is 'pretty abysmal' - Tindle News on Dailymotion

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00:00Russell George AM. First Minister, I want to really raise to you about public transport

00:06in mid Wales from a rail perspective. Itís pretty abysmal, Iím afraid. I continue to

00:11get constituents contacting me about delayed trains on the Cambrian line and also trains

00:17not turning up at all at short notice. It shouldnít really be a surprise, of course,

00:22because Transport for Wales was the worst customer satisfaction for any train operator

00:29in the UK, according to the rail user survey. But most frustrating to me is the delayed

00:37progress on an hourly service. Weíve had commitment after commitment thatís gone broken.

00:41Back in 2021, Transport for Wales informed me, ëWeíre very sorry to break another commitment,

00:48but your hourly service on the Cambrian 9 will now be delivered in May 2024í. Now weíre

00:55in May, just about later this week. Iím now told that itís going to be 2026 until we

01:01get a true hourly service stopping at every town on the Cambrian line between Shrewsbury

01:07and Aberystwyth, and even then it will only be in the summer months. So, First Minister,

01:13as you are ultimately responsible for Transport for Wales, can you give me a commitment and

01:20my constituents as to when they can expect a service that is on time for the vast majority

01:28of occasions and also is not cancelled at short notice, and when can we really expect

01:35that true hourly service as that was promised many, many years ago?

01:39Vaughan Gething AM There are two broad points to mention, and

01:44theyíre factual points here. The factual point is that Transport for Wales is the best-performing

01:49franchise in Wales by a distanceóby a significant distance. It performs better on timeliness

01:55and on the lack of cancellations compared to every franchise that is run and managed

02:00through the UK Government departments. Thatís a matter of fact, not a matter of opinion,

02:04and itís a shame that the Member canít recognise that, even if he would choose not to celebrate.

02:09Andrew R.T. Davies AM I would like to hear the First Ministerís

02:13answers, and that means all backbenchers on all sides, please remain quiet so we can hear

02:18the answer.

02:19Vaughan Gething AM The second point, of course, is that rail

02:22infrastructure is not devolved, and the challenge that the Member faces is, on the one hand,

02:28regretting and complaining about the challenges that lack of investment in rail infrastructure

02:32causes without willing the means for that to happen. Iíd have a deal more respect for

02:37the Member if he was prepared to stand up and call out the fact that the UK Government

02:42has not invested in rail infrastructure in equitable terms, and it is the rail infrastructure

02:48that is a direct cause of the challenges that the Member points to on this part of the rail

02:54network. Iíd have a great deal more respect if he was prepared to call that out. I look

02:58forward to a UK Labour Government that will invest in rail infrastructure. I look forward

03:03to making and winning the case for real investment in rail infrastructure here in Wales, and

03:07I hope the Member will then recognise that in the future, even if he is not prepared

03:12to call out the shameful Tory failure to invest in our rail infrastructure in Wales.