Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police about increasing officer numbers serving the rail network in the West Midlands.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police has recently been given an increased budget - a 15% rise with an increase of £63 million over the three-year settlement, which will see over 200 additional officers over two years, improving coverage at key hubs across England, Scotland and Wales including the West Midlands.
The West Midlands is covered by BTP’s C division, which currently has 700 officers. This will be further bolstered by BTP’s new officer intakes once they’ve completed their initial training.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on how much and what proportion of the £450 million investment in Welsh railways will be spent in the current spending review period; and whether her Department has issued guidance to Network Rail on the expected delivery schedule for that funding.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
The UK Government has announced at least £445 million for rail enhancements in Wales, to right years of underfunding by previous Conservative Governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
The vast majority of this investment will be spent in this Spending Review period, with a small amount profiled beyond this Spending Review period to help the development of the next set of projects.
This will mean new stations, more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales.
The UK Government will set out more detail on the pipeline of projects that we will deliver very shortly.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on how much of the £445 million funding for Welsh railways will be spent on (a) electrification, (b) railway station development, (c) railway station development and track upgrade and (d) any other category of expenditure.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a range of issues, including this Government’s historic investment in Welsh rail.
The UK Government has announced at least £445 million for rail enhancements in Wales, to right years of underfunding by previous Conservative Governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
This will mean new stations, more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales.
The UK Government will set out more detail on the pipeline of projects that we will deliver very shortly.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if she will provide a breakdown by operations, maintenance, renewals and enhancement of funding committed by the UK Government to Welsh railways between 2025–26 and 2028–29.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
Estimated Operations, Maintenance and Renewals (OMR) expenditure for Wales during Control Period (CP) 7 is broken down as follows:
2024-25 - £502 million
2025-26 - £447 million
2026-27 - £503 million
2027-28 - £499 million
2028-29 - £487 million
In addition to this, the UK Government has announced at least £445 million for rail enhancements in Wales, to right years of underfunding by previous Conservative Governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential.
This will mean new stations, more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales.
The UK Government will set out more detail on the pipeline of projects that we will deliver very shortly.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the investment announced for Welsh railways forms part of a multi-year funding settlement; and how much of the investment is guaranteed beyond 2025–26, including planned spend in 2026–27 and 2027–28.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
The UK Government has announced at least £445 million for rail enhancements in Wales, to right years of underfunding by previous Conservative Governments and unleash Wales’ economic potential. The vast majority of this investment will be spent in this Spending Review period.
This investment will mean new stations, more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales.
The UK Government will set out more detail on the pipeline of projects that we will deliver very shortly.
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 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: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about restructuring funding of railways and train services that (1) operate in Wales, or (2) serve Wales.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government has held constructive discussions with the Welsh Government throughout the development of the UK Railways Bill, focusing on restructuring governance and funding arrangements for rail services in Wales and on cross‑border routes. This work includes jointly developing a Memorandum of Understanding to classify devolved responsibilities, funding structures, and shared objectives for the Wales and Borders rail network.
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.