Plaid Cymru renew calls to devolve rail infrastructure to Wales
Stephen Price
Plaid Cymru has renewed calls to devolve rail infrastructure to Wales, in line with Scotland and northern Ireland, following the release of statistics showing that Wales has the highest train cancellation rates of all UK nations.
Data highlighted by the BBC, from the Office for Rail and Road, has shown that Wales has the highest percentage of railway stops cancelled between 18 August 2024 to 16 August 2025, at 3.9%, compared to 3.5% and 2% in England and Scotland respectively.
The statistics show that 6 of Wales’ 10 busiest railway stations had a cancellation rate higher than the UK average. In Scotland, none of the 10 busiest stations in the nation were above the UK average.
A Plaid Cymru MS has attributed this high rate of cancellation to the historic underinvestment of Welsh railways, over ‘decades of consecutive UK Governments, both red and blue’.
Several different sources, including the Welsh and UK Government, have admitted an underinvestment of several billion pounds into Welsh railway enhancements.
Plaid Cymru’s transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths said that Wales had been underinvested in ‘for decades, without even mentioning the £4billion from HS2’.
Disappointment
Mr Owen Griffiths went on to say that Welsh railways would never operate as effectively as the people of Wales deserve, until powers over rail infrastructure were devolved to Wales.
Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said: “These statistics will come as a disappointment, but not as a surprise to the thousands of people in Wales that rely on our trains here in Wales. Too many of them have stories of cancelled trains and days ruined.
“The UK Government should hang their heads in shame about the dire state of Welsh railways. The connection between the billions of pounds of historic underinvestment, of the lack of electrified railways, and the sky-high cancellation rate is as clear as day.
“Despite the obvious impact the UK Government’s snubbing of Welsh infrastructure has on our railway services, they continue to deny us of the £4billion we’re owed from HS2, and won’t even start to undo the damage of underinvestment in decades gone by.
“The powers over rail infrastructure must be devolved to Wales – the UK Government has shown itself incapable of investing adequately in Wales, and it’s time we were allowed to do it ourselves.
“Both Tory and Labour Governments have kept this scandal going, proving that all the Westminster parties don’t care about Wales. Only Plaid Cymru are serious about investing in Welsh communities to improve the services available to the people of Wales.”
“We could revolutionise our railway and transport systems”
As part of their manifesto, Plaid Cymru write: “We believe that rail infrastructure should be devolved to Wales, as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland, allowing rail infrastructure planning for Wales to be decided in Wales.
“Only 1% of UK Government capital spend is on railways in Wales, reflecting both current and historical underspend. While London and major cities in Scotland were connected by electrified railway more than fifty years ago, it is only in the past decade that Wales has even had a single mile of electrified track.
“With that £4,000,000,000 additional funding, we could revolutionise our railway and transport systems, including properly connecting north and south Wales for the first time within Wales, reopening major railway lines closed under Beeching, electrifying the North Wales Main Line, improving existing railway services, and increasing and improving services west of Swansea.
“To do that, Wales needs an ambitious travel plan that also considers public transport connections in the south Wales Valleys and other areas of Wales which do not have existing rail connections – including by use of trams or light rail.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Again it seems only Plaid Cymru are fighting for Wales democratic and economic interests. But less we forget. It was the late Welsh Labour First Minister Rhodri Morgan back in 2005 who was offered the devolution of rail infrastructure by then Tory PM David Cameron but he refused it. A costly mistake. This monumental c**k-up by Welsh Labour allowed the Anti-Wales Conservatives , aided and abetted by their centrist bedfellow Labour in London the opportunity to put HS2 and the Oxford to Cambridge line as an England & Wales infrastructure build denying the Senedd hundreds of millions where both Scotland… Read more »
Agreed.
It is also the knock-on jobs; Network Rails design hub for Wales is in Swindon – created 2006. At that time rail upgrades were let as a programme of works – Port Talbot, followed by Cardiff then Newport resignalling schemes; every well-paid role was in Swindon.
Siemens chose Swindon for its’ digital signaling centre – so that regions economy keeps growing.
Wales needs fair funding and be allowed to create jobs in Wales.
I worked in Network Rails signaling procurement team in London 2006-2012; they responded to UK Government economic advise – which is all out-sourced.
Pity then that Ieuan Wyn Jones and. Plaid ministers in the One Wales government subsequently endorsed the decision to refuse devolution of rail infrastructure. Easy to make speeches nearly 20 years later.
Can you supply a link elaborating on that. Diolch.
Lots of valid points, but Englands performance regime is different. Northern Trains networks is 60% UK government funded and meets its’ only kpi of on-time performance. Trains and waiting rooms are old and filthy and utilisation rates are low. Electrifying North Wales coast line has benefits, but longer / newer trains for whole network could be viewed as a priority. I am still disappointed http://www.gcre.wales is not fully funded as well-paid roles will be created in Welsh Valleys. Wales certainly needs one organisation to manage roads / railway / airport/ seaports as can then prioritize funding and seek appropriate partners… Read more »
Nothing done by Westminster here, has not , and will not be for our benefit. We need better general infrastructure, there is no money available, devolution of policing and justice, although acknowledged as inadequate, nothing done to resolve the problems, we continue to suffer, same with investment into our railways. But when England needs water, dams are built, England need electricity, pylons will be erected through the heart of our country to supply it, no mention of cost, and when, like coal, they no longer need it, the spoil tips that have taken lives and continue to threaten us, well… Read more »
Bang some drums about APD. Outrageous Whitehall should be protecting Heathrow Ltd when taxpayers are helping to expand Heathrow.
Its Bristol Airport they are protecting. But I agree, the refusal to devolve APD demonstrates a real conflict of interest with Whitehall wearing two hats as the Government of the United Kingdom and of England.
Surely Bristol is now protected by Johnson’s Internal Market Act so the Welsh Gov couldn’t massively discount short-haul APD which might genuinely harm their business. But they could discount long-haul and take a tiny bit of business from Heathrow which is already bursting at the seams so there’s no basis to argue about market distortion. Indeed, long-haul flights from Cardiff might actually benefit Bristol if these arrivals choose to take a short-haul flight into Europe after spending some time in Wales.
What independence supporters and everyone who believes in Wales running its own affairs should be campaigning for is the standardisation of devolution across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – to that of Scotland. It makes no sense at all to have one form of devolution for Scotland, a different one for Northern Ireland and yet another different – and inferior – one for Wales. It’s no wonder that MPs, Westminster civil servants and the media are often confused by the situation. Devolution of the railways is only a small part of what’s needed.
Trouble is the current state of the country after Tories and Brexit. When constitutional reform has to compete with urgent issues (economy, prisons overlowing, health, energy policy), the machinery of government can be ‘too busy’ to push Welsh devolution higher up the agenda.It’s not just flicking a switching, it’s thousands and thousands of hours of civil service time. The cicil service has been hollowed out by austerity and made to work overdrive during Covid and brexit. And there are so many more important things to do for the 69 million people in this country. Which is why Labour committed to… Read more »