Chancellor voices rail station plans as she visits old coal tip

RACHEL Reeves has said she is determined to get new railway stations open in Wales as “quickly as possible”.

- ROBERT DALLING

The chancellor made the statement of intent while speaking to the Post as she visited Port Talbot at the now-disused Dyffryn Rhondda coal tip to see the work being done to protect families and businesses from disused coal tips.

Five new railway stations are to be built as part of a £445 million investment into rail in Wales being funded by the UK Government. The hope is that stations between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel will provide an alternative to car travel for tens of thousands of people in southeast Wales.

They were first suggested as part of a package proposed by Lord Burns who was tasked with coming up with ways of reducing congestion on the M4 now plans for a relief road to the south of Newport have been abandoned.

The new stations would provide an alternative way for people to travel around southeast Wales between Cardiff and Bristol and are one of a number of rail projects now expected to begin following the announcement of £445 million for rail in Wales in Ms Reeves’ spring statement.

The Post asked the chancellor when we can expect to see the plans develop. This is what she said.

■ The Post: "When will people see a station being built and passengers using one of those new stations you promised?"

Rachel Reeves: "I was in Cardiff just a few weeks ago seeing trains being released to go on new lines and we've committed to five new railway stations, the Burns Review stations, and better connections and more trains both in north and south Wales. We've put in £445m in this spending review period and I’m determined that we get those stations open as quickly as possible.