6
Conclusion
First Report - Railway Infrastructure i…
Rejected
Both the South East Wales Transport Commission and the Williams-Shapps White Paper make a powerful case for the role rail, and in particular electrification, can play in the decarbonisation agenda. It underlines how short-sighted and regrettable Railway Infrastructure in Wales 35 the decision to cancel the electrification of the Great …
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Both the South East Wales Transport Commission and the Williams-Shapps White Paper make a powerful case for the role rail, and in particular electrification, can play in the decarbonisation agenda. It underlines how short-sighted and regrettable Railway Infrastructure in Wales 35 the decision to cancel the electrification of the Great Western mainline from Cardiff to Swansea was, as well as the potential value in economic and ecological terms of investing in greater connectivity between Swansea-Cardiff-Bristol.
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Government response AI summary
The government notes the conclusion, reiterates electrification's importance for decarbonisation, but defends its 2017 cancellation of the Cardiff-Swansea electrification due to cost and poor value for money, stating future decisions will be guided by Network Rail’s TDNS.
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Wales Office
7
Recommendation
First Report - Railway Infrastructure i…
Rejected
Bringing forward new proposals for greater connectivity between Swansea-Cardiff- Bristol, which would include completing electrification on the mainline between Cardiff and Swansea and a Swansea Bay Metro to integrate the public transport network westwards to Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire and feed rail patronage from Swansea, would be an important sign of …
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Bringing forward new proposals for greater connectivity between Swansea-Cardiff- Bristol, which would include completing electrification on the mainline between Cardiff and Swansea and a Swansea Bay Metro to integrate the public transport network westwards to Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire and feed rail patronage from Swansea, would be an important sign of the UK Government’s commitment to its green agenda and to improving connectivity across the UK. We call on the UK Government to produce draft proposals before the end of 2021.
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Government response AI summary
The UK Government notes the recommendations but rejects the call for electrification between Cardiff and Swansea, citing previous cancellation due to high costs and poor value for money, and defers future electrification decisions to Network Rail's technical review. It does not commit to producing draft …
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Wales Office
15
Recommendation
First Report - Railway Infrastructure i…
Rejected
HS2 is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. It is a project of unprecedented size and complexity and has already created several thousand jobs as part of a supply chain that spans the country, including Wales. However, as rail infrastructure is not devolved, beyond the …
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HS2 is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. It is a project of unprecedented size and complexity and has already created several thousand jobs as part of a supply chain that spans the country, including Wales. However, as rail infrastructure is not devolved, beyond the core valleys lines, to the Welsh Government, Wales will not benefit in the same way as Scotland and Northern Ireland from Barnett consequentials arising from the HS2 project. This is despite the fact that UK Government’s own analysis has concluded that HS2 will produce an economic disbenefit for Wales. We recommend that HS2 should be reclassified as an England only project. Using the Barnett formula, Wales’ funding settlement should be recalculated to apply an additional allocation based on the funding for HS2 in England. This would help to ensure that Welsh rail passengers receive the same advantage from investment in HS2 as those in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Government response AI summary
The government notes the recommendation but rejects reclassifying HS2 or recalculating Wales' funding settlement, stating that heavy rail is a reserved matter for which it spends directly in Wales. It also asserts that Wales has already received a significant Barnett uplift due to HS2 spending.
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Wales Office