Mid Wales Ignored Again Amind Rail Funding Row
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised the UK and Welsh Governments’ latest rail announcement, warning that Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire have once again been left behind.
While the Prime Minister and First Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’ long-term rail vision this week, almost all of the confirmed funding from last summer’s £445 million Spending Review settlement is concentrated in South East Wales between Cardiff and Newport. Six of the seven new stations announced are located in that corridor, with the remaining one in Deeside, North Wales.
Mid Wales receives no direct benefit from the confirmed funding.
There is no commitment to a new station at Carno on the Cambrian Line, despite the proposal having previously been identified by the Welsh Government and despite the local MP being a Labour representative. The Carno station proposal does not even feature in the long-term pipeline document.
Nor is there funding for much-needed signalling upgrades on the Cambrian Line or the Heart of Wales Line, improvements that would increase reliability and allow more frequent services. There is also no funding for additional passing loops that would enable service expansion on these largely single-track rural routes.
The Marches Line, which connects South, Mid and North Wales and links Wales with the Midlands and Manchester, also sees no funding commitment to electrification or major infrastructure upgrades.
The much-publicised £14 billion figure refers to the estimated cost of a long-term pipeline of potential projects identified by Transport for Wales over a generation. It is not a funded package and remains subject to future Spending Reviews. The current Spending Review settlement runs to the financial year 2029/30, and no additional funding has been committed beyond what was announced last summer.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats argue that once again, rural Wales is being asked to wait while investment is concentrated elsewhere, despite long-standing infrastructure constraints holding back growth and connectivity.
Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Candidate for Montgomeryshire Cllr Glyn Preston said:
“Mid Wales cannot keep being treated as an afterthought.
“There is no new station for Carno, no funding for signalling upgrades on the Cambrian line, no additional passing places to allow more frequent services, and no electrification of the Marches Line.
“Labour talks about a generational transformation, but the confirmed funding is £445 million already announced last year and almost none of it is coming to Montgomeryshire. The Liberal Democrats will always stand up for investment in Mid Wales, even in the face of Labour indifference.
Adding her comments, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales and candidate for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Jane Dodds MS said:
“The Heart of Wales Line is a lifeline for Radnorshire and the rural communities it serves. Last year, I secured £1.25 million to restore the fifth service a day and fund vital maintenance improvements.
“That funding did not appear by accident. It happened because the Welsh Liberal Democrats were there to fight for Mid Wales and refuse to let our communities be forgotten.
“If we are serious about connecting Wales internally and to the wider UK economy, Mid Wales must be part of the plan, not permanently left on the platform. Rural rail cannot survive on warm words alone. It needs sustained investment, and it is clear that Mid Wales only gets a fair hearing when Liberal Democrats are in the room to demand it.”
ENDS
