A £2bn integrated rail and bus metro network across the Swansea Bay Region, could become a City Deal project.
While at an early stage, the ambitious long-term project would significantly improve the region's public transport network and connectivity between communities.
It would involve additional rail services, new rail stations, and the creation of a comprehensive bus network.
At a recent City Deal joint scrutiny committee, transport planners urged regional partners to submit “shopping lists” for what they would like to see.
City Deal joint committee chairman Rob Stewart, who is also the leader of Swansea City Council, said: “We have now got an offer of £20m from the Secretary of State for Wales for a station at Felindre which would shorten journey times to the west.
“£20m is something we can start with, but we need much bigger offers to help create a network for all of the region, not just for bits of it.
“With the £33bn Crossrail scheme and the £55bn-plus for the HS2 project I don’t think £1bn or £2bn is unreasonable, to have a share of the pie.
“This is not a City Deal project, but I would certainly welcome it becoming one at the appropriate time.
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“It would have to come with additional funding from the Welsh and 海角视频 Governments.”
Councillor Stewart said when the City Deal was signed the region had been promised electrification of the line from Cardiff to Swansea, and as a result a transport project was not included in the deal - however electrification plans were scrapped.
He told councillors that the region had a good head start in re-establishing a joint transport authority as all the structures from the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (Swwitch) still existed in shadow form.
Swwitch, which comprised the unitary authorities of Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea, was formally dissolved in 2014 with Welsh Government requiring local authorities to prepare a Local Transport Plan.
However, officers told councillors at a meeting that regional transport planning officers, directors and cabinet members still regularly met, saying the forum was “there and ready to be used”.
Projects being considered within the metro scheme include the use of the Swansea District Line for metro services, additional services to Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, a new station at St Clears, and the use of the Neath Valley line for passenger services.
There is also work being undertaken on increasing bus services, with feasibility studies including one in Pembrokeshire using dial-a-ride technology, a demand-led response for rural areas.
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Officers said that in Swansea, First Cymru has recently moved buses onto a new online system where their location could be monitored at 20-second frequencies, enabling traffic signals to be changed to speed buses through if they were behind schedule.
Joint scrutiny committee chairman Rob James said austerity had led to cuts in local bus services because councils had to find cuts somewhere and transport was not a statutory function.
He said: “I think it’s time local authorities took more of a role in transportation, and particularly bus services.
“There’s plenty of cases where we have struggled with private providers to get value for money.”
Mr Stewart said councils could end up running bus services provided Welsh Government gives them powers to do so. It is part of a major shake-up of the Welsh bus industry being planned by Welsh Government.