Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
Published 14 Jul 2021
Paragraph 78
Addressed to Wales Office
Welsh Affairs Committee Railway Infrastructure in Wales All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
However, even if one puts aside the question of affordability and liabilities, there is the issue of how closely connected and densely populated the border between Wales and England is. The mainline connecting north and south Wales runs through England and cross border routes are vital for commuters and intercity 36 Railway Infrastructure in Wales travellers alike. Wales’s geography means its rail network depends on infrastructure in England and, wherever responsibility for management resides, the successful delivery of projects would still rely on strong, interdependent relationships between multiple organisations based on both sides of the border. Of most importance is that all parties, including the Department for Transport, Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and Network Rail, come together, under the auspices of the Wales Rail Board we have recommended earlier in this report, and develop a shared vision and project pipeline for rail in Wales.
From: Welsh Affairs Committee, First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales (HC 438), paragraph 78, 14 July 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 22 September 2021 (deadline 14 September 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government largely "notes" the Committee's recommendations, agreeing in part to some and in full to others, while not accepting that the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline hampers delivery.
- On a Wales Rail Board (Recommendations 8, 12 and 13), the government agrees in part and proposes a senior-level Board, with terms of reference "under discussion" and an initial meeting "at the earliest opportunity in the current calendar year".
- On electrification between Cardiff and Swansea (Recommendations 6 and 7), the government notes the recommendations. It says the 2017 cancellation was "due to significant increase in costs and poor value for money", and that future decisions will be guided by Network Rail's TDNS.
- On Union Connectivity Review recommendations, the government notes them. It expects the final report in Autumn 2021 and "will consider funding for Union connectivity schemes as part of the forthcoming Spending Review".
- On HS2 funding (Recommendation 15), the government notes the recommendation to reclassify HS2 as England-only. It says it spends on heavy rail in Wales rather than providing Barnett-based funding, consistent with the Statement of Funding Policy.