The £738m South Wales Metro rail project is the centrepiece of the Cardiff Capital Region’s £1.2bn City Deal. Here chair of the regional cabinet for the Cardiff Capital Region and leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Andrew Morgan outlines what the project

quicker and more effectively. And it is important to stress that this is not just about getting people into work in Cardiff.

Yes, that’s important, but the Metro must serve the key objectives of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal – to bring about social, economic, and physical and digital connectivity benefits that are felt across the region.

We are witnessing significant investment by local authorities, Welsh and UK governments and business across our region. There are a number of projects being undertaken across the region, in Pontypridd at the Taff Vale development, for example, while the Department of Work and Pensions is locating a major office at Nantgarw, employing 1,700 people.

We need to see a South Wales Metro that meets the daily needs of such workers and in one example, the relocation of Treforest station nearer to Nantgarw to serve those businesses, offices, and Coleg Y Cymoedd demonstrates exactly what we wanted to see in TfW’s plans.

We were also pleased to see a commitment from TfW and KeolisAmey to invest in our stations, and to