Swansea’s City Deal requires investment in transport
Last week I attended a conference on Swansea’s City Deal where some of Wales’ political, business and academic leaders put their views on the creation in Swansea of a strong innovation base with academia and industry working together to maximise benefits.
Professor Richard Davies, Swansea University’s Vice-Chancellor reminded me this City Deal concentrated on innovative technological and scientific developments. Buildings which generate more energy than they consume and wellbeing research are two such areas.
I raised the issue of external connectivity during the interventions session; and Secretary of State Alun Cairns emphasised the need for highquality infrastructure. But he did not move on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) electrification decision, which failed because there were no significant journey time savings.
However, investment in straightening the track section between Swansea and Cardiff could bring a 15-minute journey time reduction. With four trains each hour it could provide a stronger case for its economic evaluation by the Welsh Government than for the ‘reopening’ study into the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth line, possibly with a benefit cost ratio acceptable to HM Treasury; particularly efficient, if built alongside the electrification programme.
An interim measure of additional journeys between London and Swansea/Carmarthen/Pembroke Dock with the new intercity express journeys is being negotiated by Mr Cairns and the UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. The plan is to split the 10-car sets (made up of two independent five-car sets which will travel to Cardiff or Swansea) with one set travelling westwards. But pressure must continue on the UK Government for electrification to Swansea and, logically, bimodal operation to Pembrokeshire paralleling the west of England operations.
The journey time between Swansea and London has to be competitive with that of the northern powerhouse following HS2 completion (Manchester 2h 3m; Sheffield 1h 15m). Track straightening and Cardiff-London electrification could achieve 2h 30m and with the recently suggested direct rail route from Port Talbot to Swansea, 2h 25m.
Roads, rail and broadband there have to improve even, as Harri LloydDavies (South/Mid Wales Chamber of Commerce) put it, the improvement is the Newport M4 relief road.
But, the City Deal area isn’t just Swansea, it includes Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, as the City and County of Swansea leader Rob Stewart made clear.
In the far west the port of Milford Haven requires good road and rail communication and pipelines bringing a major energy source to satisfy increasing demand in south Wales and England’s midlands. The sea, as well as road and rail, can also be an important supply chain transport mode serving on-site manufacturing plants currently being developed – a parallel to Port Talbot, where all three modes carry ore and finished steel products.
There was general agreement that while transport infrastructure investment was not included in this City Deal (as in Cardiff) it is required to achieve its full potential.
I used public transport for my travel to and from the conference. Leaving London the previous evening, my train ran on time into Swansea at 11.24pm, with a taxi to Gorseinon. Travelling into Swansea on the First Cymru 110 service at 7.30am delivered me on time to Swansea city centre. My return to Cardiff took me via the city bus station and Great Western to arrive on time in Cardiff. There were low pre-peak traffic flows in Swansea. Swansea’s 1970s transponder scheme, where buses control traffic lights at key junctions, is returning but more work is needed on bus lanes, improved waiting facilities and information systems and an new bus interchange at Swansea railway station linking to a new set of rail services.
The city region western areas could be served both via Swansea railway station and new local and intercity services on the Swansea district line. Morriston hospital and the M4 could provide potential demand; and a bus rail interchange could be typical of many others from Port Talbot to Whitland.
Swansea’s peak-period traffic congestion on primary routes has to be reduced, but more journeys to work by public transport can be achieved if given an opportunity, as my contribution to the City Deal bid document made clear. This will reflect the hard work put into delivering this exciting City Deal.
Prof Stuart Cole CBE is Emeritus Professor of Transport (Economics and Policy) at the University of South Wales.