Secretary of State for Wales (Alun Cairns):
...We are improving connectivity for north Wales,
benefiting people on both sides of the border, and direct
services from north Wales to Liverpool will be possible for the
first time in decades. That is thanks to our £16 million
investment in the Halton curve. We are now delivering a £50
million re-signalling project to upgrade north Wales’s railway,
and modernising the north Wales coast main line would be a
significant boost to the region’s transport links. Our Great
Western modernisation programme, including a £5.7 billion
investment in new, state-of-the-art IEP trains, will cut journey
times from south Wales to London by 15 minutes. At the Budget—
(Newport East)
(Lab)
rose—
: I am happy to
give way, but I also feel very aware of the time that is being
taken.
: If the Secretary
of State is serious about improving cross-border connectivity
between parts of my constituency and Bristol and beyond, can he
get the Department for Transport to improve those cross-border
rail services that take my constituents to Bristol, Bath and
beyond to work? They are woefully inadequate.
: I am very happy to
respond positively. The consultation is under way on the Great
Western railway franchise and the type of model that we should be
collaborating to get. I recommend that the hon. Lady responds to
that consultation. Obviously, I want to see the best possible
connections between Cardiff, Newport and Bristol, and further
afield. They should be quick and efficient for us to grasp the
new opportunities that will arrive in a region that is
developing, as we get rid of the tolls on the Severn bridge. I
pay tribute to the hon. Lady for her campaigning to remove those
tolls from the bridges...
To read the whole session's proceedings, CLICK HERE
