Written - Fast North-South Rail Link

Reducing rail travel time between North and South Wales is a Welsh Assembly Government priority as outlined in the One Wales agreement. Creating better transport links improves business productivity, improves access to employment and leisure activities and ensures that transport plays its part in tackling climate change. I am delighted, therefore, to announce my proposals for a new faster return train service between Holyhead and Cardiff. The service will run Monday to Friday, to commence around the time of the planned timetable changes in December this year.

Subject to confirmation from Network Rail of available train paths, it is intended to run a journey from Holyhead to Cardiff of 4 hours 21 minutes - faster by 30 or more minutes than the current journey times. This in turn means a journey time of under 4 hours from Bangor to Cardiff.

In addition, for the first time in many years, travellers will be able to enjoy a Premier Class service. This will enable travellers to have a choice of hot food and meals and to sit at tables to work and conduct their business. They will arrive at Cardiff and at Holyhead faster and better equipped to deal with their business.

The better quality refurbished carriages, Premier Class and quicker service will make train travel between the north and south of our nation a feasible and attractive alternative to taking the car. This meets the Government’s aims of both uniting our nation and encouraging sustainable transport options.

The Government is currently conducting its negotiations with our preferred contractor, Arriva Trains Wales. Initially, the service will be routed via Crewe. My aim is for the service to stop at Wrexham in preference to Crewe. Though the time difference is minimal, just three minutes, clearly such a service should serve the north’s largest town.

Unfortunately, Network Rail is unable to offer a train path from Holyhead to Cardiff via Wrexham with an arrival before ten o’clock. I believe the service should arrive before then in order to give people a useful period of time in Cardiff - for meetings or leisure - before the afternoon return.

The Government committed to starting this service in our One Wales programme. I would prefer to start it as soon as possible, with the service going via Crewe, than wait for a train path through Wrexham which may not be available for some time.

This service, however, is the first of its kind and not the last. The intention is to keep it under review and seek the earliest opportunities to develop it further, such as routing via Wrexham and examining the business case for an early south to north service and return.

Travellers from Wrexham will however benefit from good cross-platform connections at Shrewsbury via the Wrexham Shrewsbury Marylebone service, which the Welsh Assembly Government has supported.

Additionally, I am funding Network Rail to undertake a feasibility study to improve the railway infrastructure between Holyhead and Cardiff. This will include consideration of options for capacity enhancements on the line between Chester and Wrexham with the objective of both a step change reduction in journey times for all services and of routing the express return service via Wrexham.

I hope that everyone will recognise that this is a major step forward in the delivery of the One Wales commitment to north south transport improvements. I intend to keep Members informed on further developments.