Assembly Committee calls for more funding for Railways
The Welsh Assembly Government should plan to fund the necessary infrastructure to accommodate additional growth on Wales’ railways according to a new report from the Enterprise and Learning Committee of the National Assembly for Wales.
The report on future rail provision for Wales, published today, looks at all aspects of rail provision including rolling stock, stations, rail freight and infrastructure. The Committee took evidence from several organisations during the early part of the Autumn term. In particular it considered the implications for Wales of the UK Government’s White Paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway and the Wales Rail Planning Assessment, both published in July 2007.
The Committee found that estimated growth in passenger demand in Wales and particularly in the Cardiff area to 2014 and beyond is likely to exceed the levels used by the Department for Transport and therefore the Welsh Assembly Government will need to supplement the DoT’s investment to meet demand.
The report also says that the Welsh Assembly Government should give more priority to encouraging a shift from road to rail freight, but that this should be carefully planned to ensure it does not impact on passenger travel.
Other recommendations include:
improving services running through Cardiff Queen Street;
producing a rolling stock plan outlining how new and refurbished rolling stock can increase capacity;
improving car parking provision for rail passengers; and
improving the quality of stations in Wales.
Chair of the Committee Gareth Jones said: “Although this inquiry was a relatively short one, we examined many issues during our evidence sessions. It became clear to us that the Department of Transport has underestimated the growth in the number of rail passengers in its High Level Output Specification and that therefore extra investment from the Welsh Assembly Government will be essential if Wales is to get the rail service it needs to help economic growth and combat climate change.”