Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on (a) upgrades to the South Wales relief line and (b) the rail-related recommendations in the report by Lord Burns entitled South East Wales Transport Commission: final recommendations, published on 26 November 2020.

I have regular discussions with the Transport Secretary on a range of transport issues, including infrastructure in Wales.

We have recently announced a further £2.7 million study with Welsh Government, funded by the UK Government, to develop options for new stations and services on the South Wales Main Line.

The study follows Lord Hendy’s recommendations from his review of transport connectivity across the UK, which put forward the need to relieve congestion on the M4. A series of options will be considered as part of this study, among which is the development of five brand new stations between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel.