Senedd members debated calls to reopen railway lines along the west coast of Wales to connect north and south but balked at the estimated £2bn cost.
Carolyn Thomas led the debate on June 18 following a near-13,000-name petition calling for the reopening of railway lines to connect the north and south of Wales.
As part of the campaign, in September 2023, Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn, the petitioner, set off on a 10-day trek from Bangor to the Senedd following the old railway as closely as reasonable.
His petition called for the reopening of the railways to reconnect Wales with a west-coast railway connecting Bangor to Cardiff via Carmarthen.
Ms Thomas raised a feasibility study – published in February – on reopening the Bangor to Afon Wen line which shut as part of the Beeching cuts, major route closures in the 1960s.
‘Enormous undertaking’
The petitions committee chair said the research found a third of the 27-mile route was deemed to require minimal intervention but 25% would pose more major challenges.
She said: “If we are looking to develop the infrastructure… and to use a greener method of travel, reinstating and reopening this railway would be a step in the right direction and would be beneficial for all of the communities… along the railway, as well as for Wales as a nation.”
“While the feasibility report focuses on light rail and trams, campaigners would prefer heavy rail, which would allow for faster speeds. They believe passionately that the economic, social and cultural benefits of reopening the railway would make the cost worth paying.”
Ms Thomas told the Senedd the campaigners would like to see a similar piece of work carried out on the feasibility of the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen section of the line.
“All of us here are aware that reconnecting and reopening a rail link between north and south would be an enormous undertaking,” said the Labour politician who represents North Wales.
‘Neglected’
“The feasibility report commissioned by the Welsh Government has made this clear but it also points to a way that it might one day be possible.”
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Conservative Senedd member for Aberconwy, called for the reopening of the Bangor to Caernarfon line which closed in the ’70s.
She said the line would be a huge benefit to people in Caernarfon and help tourists visiting the castle, a Unesco world heritage site, travel more easily to the town directly by train.
Ms Finch-Saunders questioned the practical reality of restoring the west-coast line, saying: “What would be really beneficial for residents in north Wales is improved road infrastructure.”
Peredur Owen Griffiths said travelling from north to south through England is not only inconvenient “but symptomatic of a transport system that has been neglected”.
‘Unfair’
Plaid Cymru’s shadow transport secretary called for powers over rail infrastructure to be devolved from Westminster to Wales. “This is not only unfair, it’s unsustainable,” he said.
Labour’s Lee Waters told the Senedd: “We do know about rail that it is very expensive. We all deeply regret the decision to get rid of these railway lines in the first place. It shouldn’t have happened. But now it has happened, the cost of restoring them is very significant.”
Mr Waters, a former transport minister, said the feasibility study put the indicative costs at restoring the route at about £2bn, warning: “That’s £2bn we don’t have to spend on all the other transport priorities we have in Wales.”
He pointed to a light rail and coach alternative – costing an estimated £4.5m to set up and £2m a year to run – which would shave some 90 minutes off current north-south trips.
Calling for £4bn “owed” to Wales over HS2, Plaid Cymru’s Siân Gwenllian suggested “not a penny” of the £445m announced in the UK spending review will come to west Wales.
‘Enormous’
Responding to the debate, Ken Skates said the Welsh Government is committed to improving transport links in all parts of Wales.
The transport secretary pointed to £1bn invested in the valleys lines and south Wales metro, as well as the Network North Wales project to which £13m had been committed in May.
Mr Skates told the Senedd: “We’re rolling out £800m of new trains across the whole of Wales. That will deliver an 80% increase in the number of trains being used.”
Turning to the petition, he said the funding required to reopen former lines – as attractive a proposition as it may be – would be enormous.
He accused Plaid Cymru of misinformation on the £4bn “owed” from HS2, arguing it would be more accurate to say Wales should have received £430m by end of this financial year.