merlodlliw
Established Member
I am aware there is a lot of interest in the Senedd debate held yesterday 2nd April ,Given by North Wales A.M Aled Roberts,I have been given a transcript of the debate,this will appear later on the WG website, here it is.
Aled Roberts choose Rail as his subject, for his 30 minute debate, in my opinion we are lucky to have Politicians who stand up for North Wales Rail.
02/04/2014 - Short Debate Aled Roberts (North Wales)
Staying on Track: Maintaining Rail Connectivity for North Wales
Summary: The importance of rail connectivity between North Wales and the HS2 hub at Crewe, along with the potential for enhanced capacity from Wrexham and the North Wales Coast to Liverpool and Manchester.
Aled Roberts - AM Welsh Liberal Democrats
It is my pleasure to bring this debate forward this afternoon, relating to rail connectivity in north Wales. I have agreed that Rhun ap Iorwerth, Byron Davies, Darren Millar and Mark Isherwood will contribute to the debate.
Connectivity with the north-west of England is essential for the border communities of Flintshire and Wrexham, in particular. This connectivity was recognised in a report published by the Welsh Government in March 2013, which reflected the economic reality of the travel-to-work area in north-east Wales.
As far back as the 2001 census, 24% of Flintshires population worked in the Cheshire west and Chester area, whereas 15.2% of Wrexhams population did so. Overall, 17,000 people from north-east Wales travel to Chesire to work, while 10,000 travel in the opposite direction. Interestingly, 11.4% of the total population of north Wales last year, some 32,000 people daily, travel to work over the border. Yet, public transport connectivity leads to major issues on the A494/A55 junction and on the A55/A483 junction, where improvements that benefit Welsh citizens mainly are dependent on decisions taken by the Ministry of Transport in London. Certainly, during the tenure of the previous Minister for transport, we faced a situation where announcements were made by the UK Government in relation to spend on the other side of the border, where there was no consultation whatsoever with the Welsh Government. The weakness, however, of public transport infrastructure in north Wales is reflected in average daily flows between Wrexham and Chester on the A483 of approximately 40,000 vehicles, while there was a miniscule number of journeys on public transport.
Rail growth in the region has been significant in recent years, with passenger numbers at Wrexham General station increasing from 588,000 passengers in 2008 to just short of 1 million passengers in 2012-13. There has been similar growth at Ruabon, where it has risen from 54,000 to 82,000 passengers. In percentage terms, growth between 2003-13 at Wrexham was 70%, 598% at Wrexham Central and 229% at Ruabon. That is why the 2009 north Wales regional transport plan recognised that significant capacity improvements were needed, and recent research conducted by the six north Wales authorities has shown that public transport currently does not meet the aspirations of the north-east Wales population in terms of linkages to employment, frequency of services, or quality.
Recent surveys conducted by the six north Wales authorities have confirmed that one in five people interviewed in the region have turned down employment offers because of a lack of accessibility to the workplace over the last 10 years. It was therefore broadly welcomed in north-east Wales when the One Wales Government, on 2 October 2009, announced the redualling of the Wrexham-Chester link. However, that redualling and the announcement also recognised the importance of European corridors across north Wales.
On Friday this week, the Deeside Industrial Park forum will be holding a rail seminar, looking at the opportunities afforded by recent announcements across the border. Therefore, why make such a fuss? I should acknowledge that, 12 months ago, consideration was being given in the run up to the reviews as to whether the scheme announced in 2009 should proceed. I have to acknowledge the decision taken by the current Minister to proceed with that scheme. However, I believe that that was based on advice with regard to capacity, which was afforded only by what was seen as the priority of the One Wales Government with regard to Cardiff journeys. There is some concern in north-east Wales that the capacity improvements will mean that we are unable to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by other schemes that the Welsh Government is contributing to, such as the Halton curve, for which Merseytravel and the Welsh Government have each committed £25,000 to a Governance for Railway Investment Projects stage 3 study, and also enhanced accessibility and connectivity with the High Speed 2 hub at Crewe. I am sure that the Minister is aware that this is the subject of discussions at a UK Government level at the moment in order to see whether that can be brought forward to 2026.
Much of the discussion in the Assembly has centred on rail electrification for south Wales, which I support, but we must also ensure that north Wales does not lose out in the debate with regard to the electrification of the north Wales coast line to Holyhead or for greater connectivity with Liverpool and Manchester.
The Higgins review into HS2 states that Crewe is the natural gateway, and it is the natural gateway to north Wales supporting strategic European freight corridors to Dublin via Holyhead. The review acknowledges that this might help to unlock north Waless growing advanced manufacturing sector, whether the Energy Island in Anglesey or the Deeside enterprise zone. I therefore ask that the Minister ensures that any decisions taken will ensure that connectivity with Liverpool and Manchester is maintained and that any decision and that any decision takes full account of those decisions.
The original scheme in 2009 involved the dualling of some 7.5 miles of rail track between Wrexham and Chester, allowing six trains each way per hour. The 2013 scheme, which had to be adopted because of financial constraints with the original scheme, only redoubles 5.5 miles of track. Correspondence that I have received from Network Rail suggests that only three trains per hour will be accommodated on that one line. So, there appears to be a disconnect between the attitude taken by Network Rail and the assurances given by the Welsh Government. Yes, it does actually provide the hourly service between Cardiff and Holyhead, which was referred to in the Welsh Governments priorities in 2009, but what it does not do is actually provide a sufficient capacity for increased services between Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Liverpool and Manchester or the flexibility that is required to ensure that there can be enhanced services from the north Wales coast through to Liverpool and Manchester.
You see, the difficulty we have is that, while we, as Assembly Members, can be concerned with regard to the frequency and quality of journeys between Cardiff and Holyhead, the reality is that only 44% of traffic in north-east Wales and in north Wales as a whole is actually using that north-south route. The vast majority of journeys, whether commuter or otherwise, are actually east-west. It is noticeable. Stand at the station in Chester, and you will see that the vast majority of people travelling from Holyhead, Llandudno Junction and Rhyl will disembark at Chester and link into other services, whether those are to Crewe or elsewhere.
I also think that there is another issue that the Welsh Government needs to have regard tobecause it is not only a case of infrastructureand that is to ensure that discussions that have now started with regard to other franchises on the other side of the border are not disconnected from discussions we will be undertaking with regard to the Wales and borders franchise in due course.
Rhun ap Iorwerth - AM Plaid Cymru
I also think, Minister, that, if we reach a situation where the easy answers as far as increased capacity are concerned are not deliverable in the short term, real consideration must be given to the timetables agreed with Arriva Trains Wales. I will give you an example. My friend, who was a tv aerial installer up until three weeks ago, has recently obtained employment in the Manchester area. He travels in the car from Rhos, my village, to Chester every morning because the 7 a.m. service from Wrexham does not get in until 7.14 a.m.. The service to Manchester, which would allow him to reach work before 9 a.m., leaves at 7.12 a.m.. So, we not only have a problem with regard to capacity and connectivity; we also have a problem with timetabling. I accept that I cannot expect a Minister to be responsible for checking all timetables, but, if we are serious about integrated transport, at the very least, those services that fall within the responsibility of the Welsh Government should seek to ensure that they are able to provide a public transport service for people, especially if that is the difference between them accepting a job or not, as was the case with my friend.
Thank you very much to Aled Roberts for raising this issue in the short debate. Connectivity, of course, is crucially important for all parts of Wales. In the south-east, at the moment, it is quite right that attention is being given to the metro, which relates to connectivity within an area that is relatively small geographically, but densely populated. If truth be told, much of the coverage given to major transport projects at present relates to the south of the countrythe electrification agenda, concentrating on connectivity to London, and a great deal of talk about the airport and international connectivity from Cardiff. However, I think that Aled Roberts is entirely right to give coverage to the external connectivity of north Wales as well. As Plaid Cymrus shadow Minister on transport, clearly connectivity within Wales is something that is extremely important to methat is crucial. However, of course, we are not an insular party and the people of north Wales are not insular either. My own mother is originally from Liverpool, so I obviously see the value in ensuring that this connectivity continues. We must take advantage of the huge expenditure on HS2 and Crewe. We need connectivity, for leisure and the economy, with the big cities and also the major airports, in Manchester and Liverpool.
Darren Millar - AM Conservative Party
Rhun ap Iorwerth the whole of the coast, as has been suggested by Rhun ap Iorwerth.
I do think that we ought to look not just at building in direct rail links to places like Liverpool, but also at making other parts of the transport infrastructure accessible. A direct rail link between north Wales and Manchester Airport would be extraordinarily helpful in terms of giving a boost to the local economy, as would helping the connectivity between services such as the ferry services from Holyhead and the rail services along the north Wales coastline. So, I do hope, Minister, that you will be able to respond positively to some of these suggestions today and that you will help to move these things along.
Mark Isherwood - AM Conservative Party
Network Rails resignalling of the line between Flint and Llandudno is to be welcomed, but the Ministers decision to reduce the redoubling of the line between Wrexham and Saltney by two miles, halving future capacity on the line and ignoring the impact of the new prison, was not.
The north Wales economic ambition board was tasked with putting together the business case for the electrification of the north Wales main line from Holyhead to Crewe, working with the Mersey Dee Alliance, Cheshire councils and Taiththe joint committee of the six north Wales county authorities. Last summer, the north-east Wales integrated transport taskforce report said that there was strong support for direct rail services to Liverpool, and for new and improved stations in north-east Wales. Taith and Merseytravel, I understand, were developing the business case for the Halton curve link. However, with Taith now disappearing, I think that we need an update on the projects that it was directly working with, particularly these two projects that I have highlighted, and what the impact of its disappearance on this might be.
Byron Davies - AM Conservative Party
I thank Aled Roberts for allowing me a moment to speak in this debate. It is fair to say that we can now acknowledge that there is sufficient steam behind electrification of the north Wales line and that it is on the horizon. I just wanted to highlight the report launched by Sir David Higgins, chairman of HS2 Ltd, who called for the transformation of Crewe into a transport hub by 2027six years ahead of schedule. He also cautioned against plans for a link between HS2 and HS1. I think that I am right in saying that the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, has in fact agreed to drop that.
It is an important element in the development of Government policy and should be welcomed by north Wales accordingly. I have to agree with the Secretary of State, David Jones, who argues that Sir Davids report has boosted the case for electrifying the north Wales main line to allow faster access to Crewe, with journey times from Crewe to London being cut from 90 minutes to 55 minutes. I hope that this has the support of the people in Wales.
Deputy Presiding Officer
I call on the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart, to reply to the debate.
Edwina Hart - Minister for Economy, Science and Transport.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I fully recognise the importance of transport connectivity, not only throughout Wales, but also across our borders. In north Wales, the links to England are particularly important. That is why, in August last year, we established a ministerial taskforce on north Wales transport. The group is chaired by my colleague the Minister for Local Government and Government Business and will provide advice on transport connectivity in north Wales, delivery and prioritisation of improvements and the most appropriate mechanism to secure effective co-ordination of transport improvement.
The taskforce has been working with representatives from across the public and private sectors in north Wales. We have involved a wide range of experts to look at the effectiveness of the current transport system, where infrastructure improvements are needed and the best way to co-ordinate transport planning in north Wales and across the border. Engaging with local authorities, enterprise zone boards and representatives of the business sector, it has identified the need for trunk road and rail corridors to provide the necessary good connectivity for the people and freight within north Wales to the ports and to the rest of the UK to support the economy and jobs, including tourism. It identified priorities for strategic investment, which include rail modernisation, including new stations, faster and more frequent rail services to key destinations, and direct rail links from north Wales to Liverpool and to Manchester and Liverpool airports.
Building the case for rail electrification was the clear focus for the taskforce in its first meeting. Network Rail presented its interim report on electrification of the north Wales coast main line in December 2013, and will submit its final report this month. The conclusions of this report will inform the scope of further work. The ministerial taskforce work builds on the recommendations made in a number of reports that have already been produced, including Dr Elizabeth Haywoods Dee region cross-border economy report. Dr Haywood is supporting the taskforce in mobilising support for rail modernisation in north Wales.
I have written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure that consideration of any additional electrification projects in the north of England considers the north Wales main line and connections in England as a whole, rather than picking off smaller individual projects. In response, the Secretary of State for Transport has invited us to present the work on north Wales rail modernisation to the north of England taskforce when it is established.
I have also jointly commissioned two demand studies with Merseytravel to examine the potential reinstatement of the Halton curve, allowing direct services between north Wales and Liverpool, and improvements to services on the Borderlands line between Wrexham and Merseyside. I am expecting these reports in the summer. Separately, the north Wales economic ambition board has commissioned work to investigate the economic and social justification for rail modernisation. The taskforce has made the link to the opportunities from HS2 following a presentation by Pete Waterman from the UK Governments HS2 growth taskforce. The presentation highlighted the importance of developing a business case around the opportunities to unlock the benefits of HS2 and the opportunities of connectivity into north Wales, reflecting the HS2 growth taskforces recent report.
We recognise that a modern, efficient railway network and an integrated transport system are vital to the economic prosperity of Wales. The point made by Aled Roberts, particularly on timetabling, is actually key if we want to have an integrated transport system, because that is one of the issues that we have looked at in mid Wales in terms of buses delivering to railway stations and vice versa, and then not allowing people to continue their journeys. There are also discussions about Wrexham and Saltney, which Aled has kindly drawn to my attention, and which I have asked officials to look at again in terms of their discussions with Network Rail.
The Minister for Local Government and Government Business and I will continue to keep Members updated on progress as the taskforce continues with this work to address the key issues for transport in north Wales, and it is my intention, after recess, to bring a further statement to the Chamber.
Deputy Presiding Officer
Thank you, Minister. That concludes todays proceedings.
Aled Roberts choose Rail as his subject, for his 30 minute debate, in my opinion we are lucky to have Politicians who stand up for North Wales Rail.
as well.