'An enduring vision for what a public transport network should look like'

WELSH GOVERNMENT'S 15 STEPS TO IMPROVE TRAIN AND BUS SERVICES UNDER 'NETWORK NORTH WALES'

- By OWEN HUGHES Business Correspondent [e-mail]

THE Welsh Government has unveiled a 15-point plan to improve rail and bus services in North Wales.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Ken Skates said Network North Wales will see metro-style train services on the North Wales mainline, the Marches line (Chester to Wrexham) and a new direct rail link between Wrexham and Liverpool.

There will be more rail and bus services and greater integration.

The Welsh Government says it aims to maximise opportunity and unlock the economic potential of North Wales and the cross-border region.

Immediate changes are being delivered, with a raft of improvements planned for the next 12 months, three years and through to 2035.

Longer-term objectives include defining future targets for higher frequency services, reopening closed stations, creating new stations and exploring the role of new transport modes such as tram trains. In total, the plans are reportedly worth £2.1bn, but external funding will be key.

Plans comprise:

■ Commencing work on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool as the crucial first phase of delivering metro services direct between the two cities.

■ Doubling train services between Wrexham and Chester next May.

■ Bringing forward the introduction of 50% more services across the North Wales mainline from December 2026 to next May, resulting in a new service from Llandudno to Liverpool and extending the Manchester Airport service to Holyhead in place of Llandudno.

■ Upon completion of rail line works at Padeswood, increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to two trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of four trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.

■ The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham-Liverpool line.

■ Key stations on the Wrexham-Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.