MSs challenge Welsh Government on Heart of Wales line cuts

Tindle News

Local MSs have quizzed the Welsh Government on what it is doing to improve rail services in rural communities.  Jane Dodds, Mid and West Wales MS and James Evans, Brecon and Radnorshire MS both spoke on the issue at the Senedd this week.  Video from Senedd.tv

Transcript

00:00 This afternoon, Cabinet Secretary, what steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve

00:06 access to reliable rail services for rural communities?

00:10 The Welsh Government has invested £800 million in new trains, which are starting to operate

00:14 across Wales. As the new trains have entered service, reliability and performance have

00:20 improved. We'll continue to build on this progress as well as better aligning our timetables

00:26 with changing post-Covid travel patterns of our passengers.

00:30 Cabinet Secretary, you have previously acknowledged the need to drive at patronage on the Heart of

00:38 Wales line, and yet we're seeing a perpetuating cycle of declining ridership if services become

00:46 increasingly impractical and unappealing. Local stakeholders, such as the Heart of Wales Line

00:52 Travellers Association, have criticised the proposed new timetable from Transport for Wales,

00:58 stating that it will make it nearly impossible for individuals to commute or have reasonable

01:04 travel times. With just three tourist-friendly weekday trains, the timetable also fails to

01:10 capitalise on the line's significant potential for attracting visitors and promoting sustainable

01:17 tourism. In their consultation, the association highlights two consultant reports that have found

01:23 the need for at least one train every two hours for the line to operate optimally. Therefore,

01:29 Cabinet Secretary, what discussions have you had with Transport for Wales to procure new modern

01:36 trains and address reliability issues to revitalise the Heart of Wales Line? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

01:44 Well, can I thank Jane Dodds for her supplementary question? The line is one of the most stunning

01:49 anywhere in the United Kingdom, and the Member is right that it's not just important for people

01:53 who have to commute to and from their communities in mid Wales; it's also vitally important for the

02:00 tourism economy in mid Wales as well. I'm hoping, following discussions with Network Rail, to be

02:06 able to share some exciting news regarding the tourism potential of that line in the not-too-

02:10 distant future. I was on the line as well. I was on a rail service just this week, and I met with

02:17 the passenger group referred to by the Member—brilliant people who shared with me their

02:22 disappointment at the reduction in the service. Unfortunately, the savings of £1.5 million were

02:30 resulting as a consequence of removing one of those daily services, but that daily service only

02:35 averaged six passengers. But I do recognise that its loss is something that has been much regretted

02:43 by people in the area, and so I have asked Transport for Wales to work with passenger user groups and

02:51 with the local authority to discuss how the situation could be rectified through the use of

02:57 high-quality bus service options in the short term, in the very least. I'd be very pleased to

03:02 meet with Transport for Wales alongside the Member to ensure that her constituents are not

03:07 being disadvantaged. >> James Evans

03:10 >> Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your answer to Jane Dodds. Back on 24 April, I raised the

03:16 concerns with you about the cuts to the Hearts of Wales line, and you said then that you take

03:20 incredibly seriously the needs of the people who live in rural Wales. You also went on to say

03:25 you will meet with residents and elected members over this. Since our discussion on 24 April,

03:30 I haven't had an opportunity to meet with you to discuss these challenges. Additionally,

03:35 I haven't heard of any meetings that you've had with direct constituents regarding these cuts.

03:40 So, I'm interested to know what steps have been taken by you to address the concerns that have

03:44 been raised by people on the reduced services on the Hearts of Wales line, and can you actually

03:50 confirm today whether you do take this issue seriously, or is this actually just some warm

03:55 words and PR spin from the Government, because the people who live in my constituency want to

04:00 see these services reintroduced, and they don't just need warm words from the Welsh Government;

04:03 they actually need action? >> I thank James Evans for his question. I

04:08 very much regret that we haven't had an opportunity to meet to discuss this person ourselves, but I

04:12 have met with residents, and, as I mentioned to Jane Dodds, I've met with the user group just

04:17 last week. There was an event that took place on the Hearts of Wales line. I met with many

04:23 organisations, including TFW, including rail managers, and Network Rail. This issue was

04:29 raised by a number of people, and so I've spoken with Transport for Wales about the need to address

04:34 the concerns that were raised and the need to provide high-quality bus services, as I said

04:38 to Jane Dodds, in the short term, in the very least, but I would still welcome an opportunity

04:44 to speak about this matter with James Evans in person.

04:47 Y Llywydd / The Llywydd: The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.

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