'Empty words' on Heart of Wales Line cuts, claims Plaid MS

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Cefin Campbell MS has accused the Welsh Government of “empty words” over proposed plans to cut rail services on the Heart of Wales railway line.    Video from Senedd.tv

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Llywydd. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Governmentís public transport

00:04priorities for mid and west Wales? Our transport strategy Llywydd Newydd sets

00:14out our vision for all parts of Wales, including mid and west Wales. We will deliver on that

00:21strategy with reference to our national transport delivery plan, as well as the regional transport

00:29plans, which are being developed by corporate joint committees. These are the committees

00:38of several councils who join together to undertake strategic decisions for a broader region.

00:45Thank you very much. Well, time and again, you as a Government are encouraging people

00:51to use their cars less and to use public transport in order to meet climate change targets and

00:58net zero targets, but I am increasingly concerned that these are empty words, because whatís

01:04happening in the region that I represent is that there is contraction in terms of public

01:09transport. Just last week, we received confirmation that services along the Heart of Wales line,

01:19that iconic railway line that goes from Llanelli to Shrewsbury, would be curtailed from December

01:25this year. The irony, of course, is that, while transport infrastructure in mid Wales

01:30is creaking, more than £4 billion in funding is owed to Wales by Westminster for HS2. Now,

01:39just imagine the difference that that funding could make, not only to the Heart of Wales

01:44line but in transforming public transport in every part of Wales. So, as we expect,

01:50the budget of the Westminster Labour Government at the end of this month. Could we therefore

01:56have some clarity from you on whether youíve had any discussions with the Government in

02:01order to ensure that every penny of that £4 billion owed to us does come to Wales?

02:06Well, thank you very much. I donít think that itís empty rhetoric. The fact is that

02:14weíve seen, across the whole of Wales, an increase of 27 per cent in people using trains

02:21in Wales between April and June, and that is a huge increase, and something that we

02:27should celebrate. Now, I accept that that is easier in some parts of Wales compared

02:33to others, and the Heart of Wales lineóit is true to say that there is a reduction in

02:43serviceófive to fouróbut there will be additional seats available, and there will

02:47also be capacity for cyclists on that line too. But, in terms of HS2, we are still putting

02:56pressure on the UK Government for fairness in terms of whatís happened in relation to

03:04investment in that infrastructure. I donít think that figure of £4 billion is realistic,

03:11but I do want to be clear that those discussions are ongoing.

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