Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
Welsh Affairs Committee
HC 438
Published 14 July 2021
Government response
First Special Report - Railway infrastructure in Wales: Government response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2021–22 · published 22 Sep 2021
Recommendations & Conclusions
6
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 39
Both the South East Wales Transport Commission and the Williams-Shapps White Paper make a powerful...
Conclusion
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 …
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Government Response 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.
Wales Office
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7
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 40
Bringing forward new proposals for greater connectivity between Swansea-Cardiff- Bristol, which would include completing electrification...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response 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 proposals for broader connectivity by the end of 2021.
Wales Office
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15
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 106
HS2 is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK.
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response 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.
Wales Office
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