Wales getting ‘pat on the head’ in UK Government’s rail plans – Lib Dems

Westminster is offering Wales “nothing more than a pat on the head” in its rail plans, a Liberal Democrat MP has said.

David Chadwick criticised the UK Government’s treatment of Wales, which he said was suffering from “systemic neglect” while Scotland gets real power over its railways.

Mr Chadwick was speaking during the debate on the Government’s Railways Bill, which will bring train services under public ownership and enable the creation of the new publicly-owned body, Great British Railways.

The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP told the Commons on Tuesday that his constituency had some of the most neglected rail lines anywhere in the UK, forcing people to endure cancellations, slow journeys and “signalling technology that belongs in a museum”.

The Liberal Democrat Wales spokesman said: “What does this Bill do to fix any of that? Nothing.

“Instead, it centralises even more power here in Whitehall and offers Wales nothing more than a pat on the head and the promise of consultation.

“Consultation is what Wales has had plenty of for the last 30 years. And look where it’s got us.

“But the real injustice here is this: Scotland gets real power over its railways, and Wales gets nothing – no power of direction, no power over infrastructure, no power over funding, not even a guarantee that Welsh needs will be taken seriously.”

Mr Chadwick claimed the UK Government had “gone out of its way” to give Scotland meaningful authority, while Wales has “no plan of action”.

Billions of pounds

He added that England was set to receive tens of billions of pounds in rail investment over the next decade, while “Wales will receive only a few £100 million”.

“A gap so vast it can only be described as systemic neglect,” he said.

Plaid Cymru’s Ann Davies said the Bill “does not work for Wales” and it will continue to be overlooked as a result.

The MP for Caerfyrddin said: “Currently, two governments on either side of the M4 control different parts of what should be a single, unified train and rail network in Wales.

“This bizarre split makes for designing railways in the best interests of the people of Wales almost impossible.”

She continued: “It saddens me to say that this Government has decided to follow an age-old adage, ‘for Wales, just see England,’ and we are the only nation in Great Britain who does not have full control over our own rail network.”

Shrewsbury

Labour’s Julia Buckley, whose Shrewsbury constituency sits near the Welsh border, said the Bill will “deliver benefits for Wales”.

She said: “The cross-border gateway and the freight connections between our two nations, and growth in this area, aligns with the priorities over the border.

“We saw in the Budget, the Chancellor commit to £445 million investment over the next 10 years specifically to support transport infrastructure in Wales, highlighting the importance of that major investment of cross-border rail activity.”