Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the Wales Route's percentage share of UK rail network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Wales Route share of passenger rail journeys is approximately 2% of the total rail usage for Great Britain. The level of investment across the different parts of the railway network is determined by the needs of the network, value for money and meeting the government’s priorities.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will publish details of the structure, membership and operation of the Wales Rail Board.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Wales Rail Board meets on a quarterly basis and includes representation from the Department for Transport, Network Rail, the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales. The Board provides strategic direction for enhancement schemes in Wales and ensures that long-term infrastructure needs are identified and developed. The Board played a key role in prioritising schemes for the recent Spending Review and will drive delivery of the record investment that has been made.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her letter on 14 January 2025 to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Transport, if she will publish the evidence used in her assessment that the railways in Wales have seen low levels of enhancement spending in recent years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Spending Review statement and the Infrastructure Strategy recognises Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs and will deliver at least £445 million of rail enhancements to realise them.
The attached table shows the UK Government funded expenditure on enhancements of the railway in Wales for previous financial years.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in pursuant to the answer to question 109355, of the £2.5 billion forecast to be spent between 2024 - 2029, how much of this is OMR spending on the Wales Route and how much is other additional costs for the Wales Route.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
£1.9 billion OMR funding has been allocated to the Wales and Borders route for the five years between 2024 and 2029. The remaining funding is expected to be spent on other costs associated with the route as well as infrastructure enhancements to invest in the areas that matter most to passengers and freight users.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of how average journey times on railways in Wales compare to equivalent distances on the railways in (a) London and (b) the southeast of England.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Rail statistics published by the Department for Transport, the Office of Rail and Road, and the Office for National Statistics provide data on passenger journeys, punctuality, regional rail usage and access to stations, but do not include comparative journey time metrics by region.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of low levels of rail enhancement funding for railways in Wales on passenger numbers in Wales.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The 2025 Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy acknowledged Wales’s ongoing infrastructure requirements, pledging at least £445 million towards rail improvements to meet these needs. These upgrades will deliver further passenger growth on rail routes across Wales, unlocking economic growth, better jobs, and housing.
The government's collaborative approach to planning and investment alongside the Welsh Government is generating substantial passenger / patronage growth in Wales. Transport for Wales has recorded 31.7 million train journeys during the 2024/25 period, an increase of 17.8% on the previous year.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of UK Government rail (a) Enhancement and (b) Operations, Maintenance and Renewal spending does Wales receive.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
For Control Period 7 (2024-2029) planned Operations, Maintenance, and Renewal spending in Wales comprises 5.5% of the UK total.
For the Spending Review period from 2026 to 2030 planned Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) spending in Wales comprises 3.6% of the UK total.
The majority of RNEP funding is allocated to delivery of pre-committed schemes. The government has recognised that for too long Wales’s long-term infrastructure needs have been overlooked, and within this Spending Review, Wales has received a larger commitment of rail enhancement funding for new schemes than England.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with his EU counterparts on a future SPS agreement and the potential impact of this on the rollout of Bovine TB vaccines in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing barriers to trade for British producers and retailers. While those negotiations are ongoing, Defra cannot comment further on the SPS agreement
The Government is continuing to drive forward the development of a bovine TB cattle vaccine, which is at the forefront of innovative solutions to help eradicate this disease, including through ongoing field trials.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of the relative level of per head spending on railway infrastructure in (a) Wales and (b) England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government believes in the importance of rail investment to support economic growth and bring connections to people all across the country. The level of investment is determined by the needs of the network, value for money and meeting the Government’s priorities, not by population count. We work with the Office of Rail and Road to provide funding to Network Rail that supports the safe and effective operation of railways across England and Wales and, through the Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy, have also provided the significant commitment to at least £445 million of rail enhancements funding for Wales. This is to address the country’s long-term infrastructure needs and meet the Wales Rail Board’s top priorities.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of funding provided by the UK Government for railways in Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The level of investment across the different parts of the railway network is determined by the needs of the network, value for money and meeting the Government’s priorities. The benefits of this spend can accrue in geographically distant locations. The funding for the day-to-day running and renewal of the railway was determined via the comprehensive regulatory processes led by the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
Network Rail spending on operations, maintenance, and renewals in Wales for the five years between 2024 and 2029 is forecast to be £2.5 billion. This will be used to address climate effects, improve train performance from current levels, and invest in the areas that matter most to passengers and freight users. The Government had made a further commitment of at least £445 million of rail enhancements funding for Wales, and plans for future rail investment in Wales will be made in close consultation with the Wales Rail Board. This will be consulted ahead of the next Spending Review so that Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs continue to be recognised.