Why £14bn investment is a step in right direction towards full devolution of rail powers for Wales

Professor Mark Barry, of Cardiff University, who created the vision for the South Wales Metro, gives his verdict on the UK Government's committment to invest £14bn over the long-term in rail enhancement projects across Wales

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LAST week Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the need for more UK Government investment in Wales' non-devolved rail network and committed to fiscally support the programme over the longer term.

He endorsed a vision set out by Transport for Wales (TfW), which implies capital funding across Wales over at least 15 years running into billions - the headline is £14bn into the 2040s.

In the short-term this includes restated commitment to upgrade the South Wales Mainline, the Burns stations and services, funding to support Cardiff Parkway and interventions in north Wales - including a new Deeside Industrial Estate station.

While there appears to be no further funding in the current £300m spending review period to March 2030, this is still a political endorsement from the Prime Minister to a rail investment programme in Wales of around £1bn per year post the next spending review period.

However, more pressing is the early need to bolster the current £300m commitment to fully fund the initial schemes set out by the Prime Minister and First Minster Eluned Morgan and to reflect the reality that the schemes in the spending review, and restated, have a price tag of probably £600m to £700m These are:

■ South Wales Mainline relief line upgrade;

■ Six Burns stations now including Cardiff Parkway and additional rolling stock for the additional Cardiff-Bristol services;

■ Metro Central (£140m upgrade of Cardiff Central Station);

■ Cardiff West (junction upgrade);

■ Padeswood sidings;

■ North Wales Mainline level crossings; and

■ Deeside Industrial Estate Station.

The UK Government could also have acknowledged that the Welsh Government has funded most south Wales projects from its block grant (so impacting spending in areas like health and education) and offered to increase its contribution so that further schemes could be initiated now.