Cross-border Train Services

Shaun Davies, the Labour MP for Telford, asked the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, about her recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the Welsh Government on steps to improve cross-border train services. In her response, Jo Stevens stated that she had met with the Transport Secretary to discuss rail infrastructure and steps to improve cross-border connectivity. She also joined the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary, Ken Skates, to announce a joint Network Rail and Transport for Wales programme that will increase rail capacity by 40% and provide 50% more timetabled services on the north Wales main line. Shaun Davies followed up, highlighting the importance of the train line from Aberystwyth to Birmingham International via Telford for the university and the economies of mid-Wales, Telford, and wider Shropshire. He asked what conversations the Secretary of State had had with the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales, and the Department for Transport about improving that line and the rolling stock. Jo Stevens acknowledged the importance of the Cambrian line in supporting cross-border connectivity for the people of mid-Wales and beyond. She explained that in recent years, Network Rail has undertaken work to improve the infrastructure on the Cambrian line to support the introduction of new trains, and that enhancements to the railway in Wales that deliver passenger benefits, including proposed electrification, are being considered by the Wales Rail Board. Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, then intervened, expressing sympathy for the friends and family of the late singer and comedian Dewi Pws. She then raised the issue of high on-the-day cancellation rates on the north Wales to London lines, which she said were three to four times higher than the next worst part of the Avanti network. She asked how the Secretary of State would use her role to stop Avanti punishing Welsh travellers. Jo Stevens acknowledged the poor performance of Avanti West Coast, stating that the Government has required the company to improve its services. She said that Ministers and officials are holding regular performance reviews with Avanti West Coast and Network Rail to hold them to account and drive improvements using contractual mechanisms. Liz Saville Roberts then suggested that the service in north Wales is not a priority for the Welsh Government or the Labour government in the UK, and that the railways are broken, with Labour's plan failing to address the chronic underfunding that is the cause, particularly in Wales. She asked the Secretary of State to "cough up" the billions owed to Wales, referring to her previous comments about the "utterly illogical" designation of HS2 as an England and Wales project. Jo Stevens responded by stating that the Government cannot go back in time and change the way the HS2 project was commissioned, managed, and classified by the previous Conservative Government, who need to accept responsibility for the "chaos, delay and waste" on their watch. She said that the Government can, however, work closely with the Senedd and local authority colleagues to develop and invest in transport projects that improve services for passengers across Wales.