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Transport Minister wants four new railway stations built in Wales

04 Jun 2020 2 minute read
Transport Minister Ken Skates. Picture by the Welsh Government.

The Transport Minister has called for the building of four new railway stations in Wales.

Ken Skates has written to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, setting out a strong argument to build the new stations.

The letter calls on Grant Shapps to invest in the Wales and Borders rail network through the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railways fund.

Ken Skates said it would not only improve rail connectivity, but help Wales’ post Covid-19 recovery.

A report undertaken by Transport for Wales for the Transport Minister Ken Skates identified four locations for new stations. The developments, which would be paid for under the New Stations Fund 3, would be ready by early 2024.

All of equal priority, the stations would be:

  • Deeside Parkway, on the Borderlands Line in the north of Wales
  • Carno, on the Cambrian Mainline in mid-Wales
  • St Clears on the Great Western Mainline in the west of Wales
  • Ely Mill on the City Line in Cardiff, in the south of Wales

Ken Skates also said that he took the opportunity to reiterate the case strongly for plans which included the Aberystwyth – Carmarthen and Bangor – Caernarfon re-openings.

 

‘Supercharge’

In his letter, Ken Skates wrote that the stations would improve access to the rail network across Wales.

“They will make a major contribution to improved rail connectivity, supercharge our post Covid19 recovery, and develop our public transport for the future. Our new station openings will be key to Building Back Better,” he said.

The Transport Minister also invited the Transport Secretary to discuss further priorities for rail investment, including new stations at Greenfield and Magor. He put forward suggestions for the New Ideas Fund, such as the restoration of passenger services on the line between Gaerwen and Amlwch on Anglesey and an expressed interest in using the Accelerating Existing Proposals fund to restore the line and services to Abertillery in South Wales.


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