Transport for Wales boss James Price has laid out how he thinks the 海角视频 Government’s Great British Railways plan will impact Wales. The 海角视频 Government is creating Great British Railways, which is says will make railways “simpler and better for everyone” via a single state-owned company.
The Westminster administration is expected to announce details of its Great British Railways plan later this year.
Wales does not have full devolution of rail infrastructure but Transport for Wales (TfW) does run the Core Valley Lines network, so there are questions about how it will work in Wales. TfW, which is the transport arm of Welsh Government, also run train services on the Wales & Borders network.
There are calls for rail to be fully devolved to Wales.
Professor Stuart Cole has said Wales is currently “at the bottom of the pile”, while Cardiff University Professor Mark Barry agrees, saying the Welsh Government is at risk of repeating its biggest-ever mistake.
The 海角视频 Government has recently stated that railways in Wales are underfunded but has not given any details of how it would fund any projects in Wales, nor has it made any promise to provide funding for the rail network in Wales that is equivalent to the amount spent per person in England.
The two opportunities to address this in the coming year are, firstly, the multi-year spending review that Rachel Reeves’ Treasury is conducting, and secondly, the major bit of rail legislation – known as the Railways Bill – that the 海角视频 Government has committed to bring forward to overhaul the country’s railways through the creation of a new body called Great British Railways.
TfW chief executive Mr Price said Great British Railways would remain in charge of track maintenance, and be accountable for its day-to-day activity to TfW, which will then, in turn, be accountable to the Welsh and 海角视频 governments.
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Mr Price said: “My personal and professional view are we need to try to get the benefits of a more vertically integrated railway, remembering that we have a completely vertically integrated railway on the Core Valley Lines, where we own and operate them without giving up any of the benefits of the devolution we already have.”
He said they are meeting with Great British Railways, the 海角视频 Government and the Welsh Government about a preferred approach.
“That is, in essence, TfW retaining operation of all its services, Network Rail – rebranded GBR Cymru – continuing to have the responsibility for running infrastructure, but by partnering much more closely in the middle and sharing budget lines and profit and loss lines so we can absolutely see the system as a whole and plan the system as a whole,” said Mr Price.
“So, for example, when maintenance is being planned, we plan it so it has the lowest possible cost to the taxpayers and highest possible benefit to the user of the service. That was never really possible when you had a whole number of private sector companies involved all trying to gain the system. In theory, it ought to be possible now it is public sector.
“The one thing we need to do is recognise that it’s highly likely, if this is going to be set up for the long term, which is what it should be, there will be different colours of government in different parts of the 海角视频 and at a local level and CJC level, and whatever we set up needs to be capable of withstanding the obvious political tensions that will happen as part of that.”
Mr Price was also asked about reports Chancellor Rachel Reeves will freeze all infrastructure with the exception of three English schemes.
He responded: “I think for me, with GBR, conversations should be the people who are operationally involved in running the services because they’re the people who know what they’re doing.
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“The government-to-government conversations should be about setting the strategic direction and holding to account those running the service, ie TfW and GBR in the future.
“However, we have an interest in funding available and what we can do, and on that, the Welsh Government and 海角视频 Government have been working closely and we have been involved in briefing and helping get to a position where the 海角视频 Government has said, for the first time ever, that Wales has been underfunded in the past and also pointed to the future, subject to the spending review, that more money could be freed up.
“My interpretation, and I know nothing, is a statement that says ‘money is tight, we can’t spend anything on rail’ can on aggregate be true alongside a statement that says Wales has been historically underfunded and we need to find some funding.
“Actually, even if Wales was fully funded that would only ever be 5% of the total, so I think it can be that both statements are true.”