Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Great British Railways to help ensure the operation of train services stopping at (a) Wrexham, (b) Shrewsbury and (c) London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government’s bold vision for the railways will see a unified and simplified rail system that relentlessly focuses on improved services for passengers and better value for taxpayers, ending years of fragmentation and waste.
Great British Railways (GBR) will be the directing mind for the network to provide the best balance between local, regional and national services to deliver a better performing railway for passengers, freight and taxpayers.
GBR will have the ability to plan its future service patterns in accordance with market demand, revenue forecasting, and stakeholder expectations, including train services between Wrexham, Shrewsbury and London.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date the decision was taken to re-classify East-West Rail as an England and Wales project.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As rail infrastructure projects have not been devolved to Wales the categorisation of these projects is in line with wider devolution policy managed by Treasury.
Every Government funded rail project in Wales or England are always categorised as England and Wales investment projects.
The categorising of East West Rail as an England and Wales project does not mean that Wales is disadvantaged in any way.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of skilled workers to complete rail electrification of the (a) North and (B) South Wales main lines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager for Great Britain’s railways, is responsible for considering the skills and workforce requirements for infrastructure projects such as electrification schemes. It is assisted in this by the National Skills Academy for Rail, which supports the rail industry in acquiring, maintaining and developing the workforce it needs.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the decision was made to reclassify the Oxford-Cambridge line from an England-only project to an England and Wales project.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As rail infrastructure projects have not been devolved to Wales the categorisation of these projects is in line with wider devolution policy managed by Treasury.
Every Government funded rail project in Wales or England are always categorised as England and Wales investment projects.
The categorising of East West Rail as an England and Wales project does not mean that Wales is disadvantaged in any way.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) frequency and (b) capacity of passenger rail services on the (i) Heart of Wales Line and (ii) Cambrian Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Services on these routes are provided by Transport for Wales (TfW). Capacity on the Cambrian Line will improve with the introduction of new trains in the next couple of years and TfW is preparing to introduce a fifth through service per day on the Heart of Wales line from December 2025.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has taken steps to implement two services an hour on the Shrewsbury-Wrexham-Chester Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Services on this route are provided by Transport for Wales in accordance with its Train Service Requirement which is agreed with the Department in respective of services at stations in England. There are no active proposals to increase services on this route.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to electrify the North Wales main line.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Together with industry partners, we have identified a number of improvements on the North Wales Main Line which will deliver more immediate passenger benefits, including increasing the frequency of services in 2026, which will serve to strengthen the business case for future electrification. Following the Spending Review, we are funding these improvement works as part of the wider £445 million investment to enhance rail infrastructure across Wales — unlocking economic potential, improving connectivity, and supporting communities.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the total cost of the electrification of the remainder of the South Wales mainline.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
No recent cost estimates have been made by Network Rail for electrification of the South Wales Mainline, with the last available information dating from 2017. With bi-mode trains offering comparable journey times regardless of whether operating in diesel or electric mode, it is expected that any business case for electrification of this route would be very weak.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the total cost of the electrification of the North Wales mainline.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The government has not made any recent estimate of the cost of electrification of the North Wales Mainline. It is more than ten years since Network Rail were last asked to consider the electrification of this line. That work would need to be fully refreshed, taking account of current electrification technologies.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the East West Rail will be designated as an England and Wales project.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
East West Rail is set to cover the route from Oxford to Cambridge and is therefore part of the RNEP portfolio which covers funding for projects in England and Wales. The RNEP portfolio can be distributed to any scheme across England and Wales.