Today UK Government and Welsh Government have announced a generational commitment to Welsh Rail– this is Labour’s plan to transform the rail network and end the injustice of Tory underfunding of Welsh Rail. It is about connecting people and communities, creating tens of thousands of new jobs in every corner of Wales – proof of what two Labour Governments can achieve together. This is a long-term vision for Welsh rail, worth up to £14bn, as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister is endorsing Transport for Wales’ vision for the future of Welsh Rail and the UK Government is agreeing that that vision will form the basis of projects agreed by the Wales Rail Board. The UK Government is committing to deliver that vision as quickly as possible, in partnership with Welsh Government.
In the Spending Review, £445 million was announced for rail in Wales and today the UK Government is also announcing what that money will be spent on. For us in North East Wales, that means a new station to service Deeside industrial park, as part of plans to boost capacity and frequency on the Wrexham-Liverpool line – the first new station in North Wales for many years. In terms of the Wrexham-Liverpool line, UK and Welsh Government have worked with the North Wales Growth Deal – Ambition North Wales – who have agreed to co-fund the improvements to the main line arrangements into the Padeswood cement works freight facility. This will provide a seamless movement for freight trains off the main line and into the cement works rather than the time-consuming current movements. This funding will enable UK Government to use its existing funding agreed at the spending review to take forward further schemes on this line, including an additional station to service Deeside Industrial Park, and safety, capacity and line speed improvements at Buckley. These upgrades will unlock two trains per hour on the Wrexham – Liverpool line and enable more people to get to work by train.
