‘Does the Secretary of State stand by her claim that HS2 no
longer exists?'
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, MP, has
slammed the UK Government for not compensating Wales for spending
on the HS2 rail project, despite causing at least seven years of
disruption to the Carmarthen-London Paddington line.
She said it was “incredibly frustrating” that
the Secretary of State continued to “flip flop”
on the issue of consequential funding to Wales.
Current plans show that the impact of the construction of the new
station at Old Oak Common will have a detrimental impact on
mainline inter-city services serving the M4 corridor, South Wales
and the South West of England. This is set to last for 7 or
more years and follows the 10 years of disruption to rail
services resulting from the electrification of the main line and
the construction of the Elizabeth Line.
During Wales Questions on Wednesday, December 11, MP highlighted remarks
made by the Secretary of State for Wales, MP, before the General Election. In those comments,
had stated that "HS2 is no longer in existence" when
asked about consequential funding for Wales.
MP said:
“The budget confirmed that HS2 will run to Euston, this
stretch alone will cost up to £9.4 billion.
“HS2 construction work also means that passengers from
Wales will face disruption as trains will be diverted away from
Paddington Station for seven years.
“She previously said that “HS2 no longer exists”. Does
she stand by this statement given that Welsh passengers will be
bearing the huge costs of the project?”
responded that her “reference to HS2 was in relation
to the second phase of HS2 which the Conservative government
cancelled”. She added that she was “working in partnership with
Welsh Government to develop a long term and sustainably funded
package of much needed rail infrastructure improvements.”
In opposition in 2022, said it was “utterly illogical” for Wales not to
receive consequential funding for spending on HS2, but by 2024
she had reversed her position entirely. During an S4C interview
on 17 June 2024, justified Labour's U-turn on this principle by
claiming that “HS2 is no longer in existence”.
Speaking after the session, MP added:
"A partnership between two Labour governments should have
swiftly resolved this long-standing injustice for Wales. The
people of Wales are rightly impatient, and it's incredibly
frustrating that the Secretary of State keeps flip-flopping on
the issue."
Notes.
NODIADAU I'R GOLYGYDD /
EDITOR'S NOTES:
The Old Oak Common to Euston link will cause seven years
of disruption to the line between Carmarthen and London
Paddington, according to the Peninsula Rail Task Force.
About Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF)
The Peninsula Rail Task Force represents the five Local Transport
Authorities covering Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and
Torbay with 3 million resident population and over 20 million
visitors annually. Underpinning PRTF's work are our aims for:
-
Resilience and reliability
-
Network expansion and enhancement
-
Enhanced passenger experience and patronage
growth
Background
Current plans show that the impact of the construction of the new
station at Old Oak Common will have a detrimental impact on
mainline inter-city services serving the M4 corridor, South Wales
and the South West. This is set to last for 7 or more years
and follows the 10 years of disruption to our rail services
resulting from the electrification of the main line and the
construction of the Elizabeth Line.
Key impacts from Old Oak Common
The planned works to Old Oak Common will:
- Ensure that our journeys are among the slowest
intercity services anywhere in the country
- Severely reduce the number of available seats, diminishing
our already poor capacity and connectivity
- Result in fewer direct trains to London Paddington with
limited line capacity – reducing our resilience to recover from
any delays
, 2022: “it is utterly illogical to designate it an
England and Wales project”: Rail Infrastructure -
Hansard - UK Parliament
Y Byd yn Ei Le, June 2024: “HS2 is no longer in existence”:
https://x.com/newyddions4c/status/1802786241852707250?s=46
