The Secretary of State for Wales said that rail was her “number
one priority” for Wales, in an appearance before the Welsh
Affairs Committee today.
Speaking to the Committee, said: “I am going into the Spending Review with rail
as a number one priority for Wales.”
She said that the UK and Welsh Governments recognised that Wales
had not received its fair share of funding in the past, and that
the Transport Commissions for North and South-East Wales, and the
Union Connectivity Review provided a blueprint for investment.
However, the Secretary of State did not commit to reclassifying
HS2 as an England-only project, rather than its current status of
an England and Wales project which prevents Wales from accessing
compensatory funding.
She was also asked to indicate a timeline of planned actions but
said she could not “pre-empt” the Government's Spending Review.
The Secretary of State's words followed the
Committee's publication of a
letter from Government ministers and , admitting to underinvestment in Welsh rail.
In the letter, ministers concede that railways in Wales have seen
“low levels of enhancement spending”. They write that this makes
it more difficult to “realise the modal shift needed to sustain a
continuous enhancements pipeline.”
However, the ministers do not commit to specific amounts of
funding for rail in Wales. They say that the prioritisation of
rail service improvement projects proposed by the Wales Rail
Board will contribute to the Spring Spending Review.
Responding to the session, Chair of the Welsh
Affairs Committee, , said:
“Communities across Wales are being held back by historic
underinvestment in our railways. Today's news that improving
Welsh rail will be the Secretary of State's number one priority
in the next spending review is most welcome.
“I was also pleased that she recognised our predecessor
Committee's role in making the case for a Wales Rail Board,
identifying where new investment is most needed.
“I look forward to hearing details of her next steps towards
sustainable long-term funding for rail in Wales, and a timeline
for delivering on her commitments."
