£4m set side for Transport for Wales to develop ‘North Wales Metro’

£4m has also been allocated to Transport for Wales towards their work on the North Wales Metro, the Welsh Government announced today.

The North Wales Metro aims to make it easier and faster to travel by bus and rail between coast of the north of Wales, Wrexham, Deeside and the north-west of England.

Part of the £4m will go towards the development work for improved rail services and stations, the Welsh Government said.

The announcement was made this morning amid reports in the Telegraph newspaper that Transport for Wales was due to be imminently nationalised by the Welsh Government.

The report said ministers are expected to transfer the Wales and Borders train services to public hands on Thursday morning.

Minister for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said: “The North Wales metro is key in delivering an integrated, improved and efficient transport system for the region.

“I’m pleased today to be able to announce funding for a number of different schemes, including electric buses and charging infrastructure, active travel routes and improvements to town centres.

“These investments are now more important than ever. As we face this challenging time we must plan for the future we would like to see, which is greener and more sustainable for all of us.”

Snowdon

A further £7m has been allocated to schemes across the region to support sustainable ways of travelling, improve safety and reduce carbon emissions, Ken Skates said.

That included funding to support Transport for Wales to work with Yr Wyddfa Partnership to develop solutions to address “transport pressures” in the National Park “to protect the environment, communities and the tourism economy”.

The rest of the funding will go to local projects delivered by local authorities including electric buses and town centre improvements.

This includes £3.6m for six electric buses and provision of charging points for a new TrawsCymru T22 between Caernarfon – Porthmadog- Blaenau Ffestiniog and a T19 TrawsCymru Connect bus service between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno.

£2m of funding will go towards the A4086/A4244 junction improvement scheme which will improve access to Llanberis. There will also be investment in early development works for hydrogen hubs in Holyhead and Deeside.

Funding is also allocated towards the Holyhead Breakwater, and improvements to Mold, Buckley and Caernarfon town centres. Funding is also proposed for development work for an active travel route between Sandycroft and Broughton in Deeside, which when completed would link existing routes through Queensferry and Sandycroft to key employment sites in Broughton including Airbus.