WAG Express discussion

talking shop for City Region rail electrification announced today.

suggest how the proposed city regions might best benefit from opportunities in the short, medium and long-term, such as future EU funding, rail electrification and Local Development Plans;

Business Minister announces study on potential role of City Regions for economic development in Wales
The potential role of city regions in the planning of future economic development and prosperity in Wales is to be considered by an expert group being brought together by Business and Enterprise Minister, Edwina Hart.
Monday 31 October 2011

A Task and Finish Group with detailed knowledge of the issues is being formed to identify areas that might be appropriate to support as city regions within Wales and to consider the key economic development opportunities and benefits.

The new group, which will be chaired by Dr Elizabeth Haywood, director of the South East Wales Economic Forum and former director of CBI Wales, will be asked to:

consider the evidence for supporting city regions, identifying specific areas that might be appropriate to support in Wales and their characteristics;
establish the likely key economic development opportunities and benefits offered by each of the identified city regions and any potential from working together;
identify the strategic and high-level issues associated with each of the areas as part of a consistent approach to supporting city regions in Wales;
suggest how the proposed city regions might best benefit from opportunities in the short, medium and long-term, such as future EU funding, rail electrification and Local Development Plans;
outline the distinguishing propositions offered by each of the identified city region areas; and
establish whether, and if so what, policy and institutional changes will be required in Wales to deliver an effective approach to supporting city regions.

Mrs Hart said:

“I am keen to examine if the Welsh economy could benefit from identifying and nurturing potential Welsh city regions and whether they could become drivers for future economic growth across Wales. The conclusions from the Task and Finish Group will inform our future approach.”

Dr Elizabeth Haywood added:

“I am delighted to have been asked to take on the role of chair of the city region group. This is a time of real economic hardship, and it is encouraging to see a groundswell of opinion in Wales thinking beyond standard administrative boundaries in order to increase jobs and prosperity. The city region approach may well be a good model for us, and I will want to look closely at what works best on the international stage.”

The Task and Finish Group is due to report back to the Business Minister in early 2012. Full membership details of the group will be announced shortly.

 

Yes, noted they didn't name which City but reality is only Cardiff has population for this to happen within Wales. Newport is effectively in Cardiff hinterland which butts up as far as Swansea anyway.

Liverpool, Manchester and to a degree Chester all ripple out into Wrexham/Flintshire. Could tick the Wrexham to Bidston 3rd rail with this box.

Still nice to see electrification on agenda- its a tacit acknowledgment that road improvements cannot work in City Region thinking. Cardiff is constrained road has gone as far as it can some time ago only rail can expand.

Good still wind tonight nice throaty rip of a pair of 97's accelerating on RHTT back to Salop just then.

 

Get the loco hauled train down.

 

How dare you sir! The Rhymney is as important to us as the Tamar is to the Cornwalians!

 

A quick read of thr thread title and brain not quite in gear the WAG now running to Cambridgeshire! D'oh

 

A quick read of thr thread title and brain not quite in gear the WAG now running to Cambridgeshire! D'oh

....now that would be interesting!

 

oh u beat me to it
boom boom as basil brush would say

 

Yep and right for electrification as no one will bring employment into the valley in a global economy as your not cheap (in global terms) and you don't - in all due respect - have the highest levels of educational attainment/ skills in the population as a whole. Best to access employment where it will go and I'm afraid its going to be Cardiff rather than Pontlottyn however the best way to get Rhymney people to Cardiff is the train as the road infrastructure in the valley is prohibitive to upgrade and it all falls apart when you get inot Cardiff congestion anyway.

 

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick there. I read that as a 'proud' rebuke to the idea that Newport is part of Cardiff's hinterland: the river Rhymney forming a natural border between Cardiff/Glamorgan and Newport/Monmouthshire, like the Tamar is the deliniation between Cornwall and Devon. Pitching Pontlottyn vs Cardiff was barking up the wrong valley, so to speak.

 

Oi. As a Newportonian, can I just say, we are nowt to do with that overgrown hamlet down the road. Call that a castle? My shed has better battlements.

 

I know valley & Newport folk are proud but the whole area is characterized by high levels of economic inactivity and low educational attainment. In our globalised economy employers will not come into these areas unless wages are cheap and the rest of world beats us hand down at that. They will come to areas that have a clustering/agglomeration factor and only Cardiff in Wales really has that - it has to be the nucleus anyway - Newport can benefit from more than trickle down or dormitory suburb status as it has good links to Cardiff and is close by and elsewhere in UK compared to Valleys.

Ancient county boundary's mean jack all to the corporate world and no ones suggesting we build steel works 25 miles inland and pay for it with state subsidy any more.
To a degree the city region effect is happening naturally - the Valley lines that survived bring workers into Cardiff and the dualling of the A470 has not brought jobs into the Valleys rather Valleys folk commute into Cardiff on it.

 

Yes indeed, a light-hearted but serious point about identity.

Don't include Newport in with the Monmouthshire Valleys. Newport is second only to Cardiff in terms in economic activity and in-commuting to work.

 

Two blue 67s suggests two sets, the 67s won't need to be regularly swapped liked the 57s.

Both via Wrexham? Maybe one northbound and one southbound?

 

And the reports on the fourms are that 3 locos are supposedly being painted (only 2 have been done so far though by the sounds of things on the fourms).

Any news on the NTP revision which some on here thought would be detailed today?

 

There was reception at Senedd in Cardiff today organized by Shrewsbury to Chester Rail Partnership - Minister for Local Govt who has transport portfolio was due to give key speech - hence why many were expecting something as hes AM for Alyn and Deeside also. I had invite but couldn't go one of our guys went but I've not heard from him. Merodlliw was due to be there I notice he hasn't posted anything tonight so maybe not home yet.

 

Heard that 67001 has turned up at Cardiff Canton

 

Not down that way this week (no HOWL working) so I won't get a chance to have my usual rubberneck.

 

I hope ATW aren't charging for the WAG 2 175 (since WAG already paid for 67s from December). Alternativly, ATW could refund this year's portion of the WAG 2 class 67 monies and charge for the 175 instead.

 

Arrivas December timetable now available online. WAG 1 appears to have gone, WAG 2 still running at same times.

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/timetables/

 

As far as I can see both WAG1 and WAG2 are still included in the new timetable 2?

 

No, both still there with full restaurant on WAG 1