Rail savings should be spent inWales

THE cancellation of the longawaited rail electrification between Cardiff and Swansea was a blow for the local economy.

Money saved from that cancellation must be used for improving transport here. If it were to go to other parts of the UK it would add not only insult to injury but also send a message that those in Westminster care little about employment or the economy in Wales.

We are already the poor relations compared to other places across the border. Some English regions are being put at a huge advantage compared to Wales thanks to the billions of pounds of tax payers’ money being spent on Crossrail and HS2.

The effects of cancelling electrification of some 60 miles of track between the two cities which drive our economy can already be seen in the Virgin Media jobs loss suffered by Swansea.

The UK Government must not compound the situation further.

It must make sure any savings are spent on improving rail infrastructure in Wales.

Welsh MPs are calling for money saved from our loss to be pumped back into Wales stressing the stark gap in funding between Wales and other parts of the UK.

David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth is right to say money saved from scrapping electrification between Cardiff and Swansea cannot simply go back into the pot.

As he points out, we have just seen Virgin Media jobs moved from Swansea to Manchester. With journeys from Manchester to London slashed to one hour eight minutes, while Swansea to London will be two 2 hours, 45 minutes no one can be surprise that businesses will take their money, jobs and investment elsewhere,

Electrification of the Great Western Mainline from Paddington to Swansea was promised by the then Tory government of David Cameron back in 2012.

The decision now not to go ahead with it came after the Westminster government awarded £6.6bn worth of contracts as part of the next phase of the high speed rail network between London and Birmingham – as well as confirming the route for future phases to reach both Manchester and Leeds.

Abandoning electrification between Cardiff and Swansea is just the latest example of England’s major cities being prioritised over Wales. The least Westminster can do is let us use the money saved to improve the service we are left with.