‘Devolution of Welsh railway infrastructure not a priority’
DEVOLVING railway infrastructure to put Wales on a par with Scotland does not feature in the planned overhaul of the rail system because the focus must be on other matters, the UK Government has explained.
On Thursday, the Government published a White Paper which proposed “the biggest change to the railways in 25 years”, including the creation of Great British Railways to own the infrastructure, receive fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables.
The document is the outcome of a three-year review, led by former British Airways chief executive Keith Williams, which explored further devolution, among other topics.
The White Paper says the devolved authorities in Scotland and Wales will retain existing powers, but ignores the Welsh Government’s formal request to the Williams Review for transfer of infrastructure ownership, as recommended by the Commission on Devolution in Wales nine years ago.
The Western Mail asked the Department for Transport why infrastructure would not be devolved, along with a fair budget, as part of the White Paper reforms.
A spokeswoman responded: “The immediate focus must be recovery from Covid-19 and delivering more efficient services for passengers. Our White Paper sets out proposals for a joint working agreement between Great British Railways and Transport for Wales to improve the rail offer in Wales.
“The White Paper marks the beginning of conversations as we start the process of reform.”
The Welsh Government reacted angrily.
“The UK Government’s published terms of reference for the Williams Review was to explore options for further devolution,” said a spokesman. “This White Paper is silent in this regard, and is another missed opportunity to accelerate the decarbonisation of transport in Wales by devolving powers and funding over rail infrastructure to the Senedd.”
Although the DfT says rail infrastructure devolution is not an immediate issue, rail enhancements are the key to alleviating congestion and accident delays on the M4 around Newport. Last autumn, the Burns Commission recommended new stations and other upgrades to railways in and around Newport so that suburban residents could access trains easily.
The UK Government has talked of building the £1.5bn M4 relief road – which the Welsh Government cancelled in 2019 – but has not yet committed to implementing the Commission’s recommended rail programme.
The Welsh Government spokesman said that in the absence of devolution, the UK Government must stop shirking its clear responsibility to fund enhancements: “The recommendations of the Burns Commission are important improvements that UK Government must therefore fund. Sir Peter Hendy’s work for the UK Government on the Union Connectivity Review provides the UK Government with a clear opportunity to turn rhetoric into action.”
The White Paper is also silent on whether TfW Rail, which took over from KeolisAmey in February, can be the long-term Wales and Borders train operator. Currently, UK law allows public-sector organisations to operate trains only temporarily, which means a new private operator has to replace TfW Rail no later than 2026.
Asked whether this would now be repealed, the DfT spokeswoman said: “We will consult on any legislation required to implement the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in due course.”
The White Paper also explains that the Great British Railways brand will increasingly appear on trains, uniforms and publicity material, with variants to the national brand developed to reflect English regions, Scotland and Wales “while emphasising that the railway is one network”.
Over the past three years, Transport for Wales’ own brand has been rolled out across Wales and Borders stations and trains and applied to concessionary bus passes and Fflecsi buses. The brand is due to spread further as TfW takes responsibility for more transport and integrates services and ticketing.
We asked the DfT to what degree TfW’s brand would be altered under the White Paper reforms.
The spokeswoman responded: “A coherent, consistent and clearly branded railway network will give passengers confidence in using it. Great British Railways will use updated versions of the classic ‘double arrow’ logo, which remains the most widely recognised symbol of the railway in this country.”
She said the GBR board’s composition would be confirmed in due course, in answer to our question about whether a space on the board will be reserved for a Welsh representative who would enable GBR to take full account of the distinct requirements of Welsh railways.