MPs call for new Wales rail body to tackle slow services

A NEW UK-Welsh collaboration to improve Wales’ rail infrastructure should be created by the UK Government, MPs have said.

An organisation named the Wales Rail Board, comprised of the UK and Welsh governments, Network Rail and train operators, should be in place by the autumn, according to a report by the Welsh Affairs Committee.

It should be tasked with “identifying and developing a prioritised set of proposals for rail infrastructure improvement and investment in Wales”, the committee said.

The report described the current management of rail in Wales as “complex”, with infrastructure and franchising powers reserved to the Westminster Government but executive responsibility for setting the terms and conditions for train operation devolved to the Welsh Government.

The existence of “slow services and inadequate stations” underlines the need for upgrading the network, the report stated.

There is a “strong environmental and economic case for substantially enhancing the rail infrastructure that serves Wales”, according to the document.

The MPs called for the July 2017 decision to scrap the planned electrification of the Great Wester Mainline between Cardiff and Swansea to be reversed, and for better connections to be created with Bristol.

Preseli Pembrokeshire Tory MP Stephen Crabb, pictured, who chairs the committee, said: “There is a compelling case for greater investment in rail infrastructure in Wales to improve journey times for passengers, strengthen connectivity with the rest of the United Kingdom and reduce carbon emissions.

“Reaching our net zero targets will require a significant investment in rail electrification.

“We believe that this should result in a reconsideration of the short-sighted decision to cancel the electrification of the Great Western mainline from Cardiff to Swansea.

“While there will always be voices calling for the further devolution of rail powers, it’s clear that what passengers most need is both of their governments, as well as the rail operators, working together.

“Our committee has proposed a new Wales Rail Board, which would bring together the two governments, Network Rail and rail operators, which can be tasked with bringing forward a shared pipeline of Welsh rail projects and which should be in place by the autumn.”