Written Statement - Spending Review – Rail Implications

The Spending Review announced by the Chancellor yesterday failed to mention the electrification of the Great Western Mainline between Swansea and London Paddington. An announcement to increase regulated fares in England was also made which could impact on Wales.

I am asking for clarity and transparency about Whitehall’s transport plans for Wales. Despite making repeated requests, there is still no announcement on the future of the electrification of the mainline between Swansea and London. We know that there is a strong economic and environmental case for electrification through to Swansea. Investment in the transport infrastructure is essential to help the economy to recover from the recession. Electrification will provide faster journeys, more capacity and a more comfortable journey for passengers while having less of an impact on our environment.

The UK Government had a good opportunity yesterday to make a positive statement to commit to the electrification of the mainline to Swansea, as they did for a raft of projects for England and Scotland including a £2.1bn package of station improvements for England. Instead the Chancellor revealed that rail improvements in Barry, Cardiff and Newport would proceed – we find this very surprising given there was no question mark over these committed re-signalling schemes that were originally announced in 2007 with funding allocated.