We're on the right track to transform rail in Wales

WHEN Transport for Wales took on responsibility for the Wales and Borders rail service in October 2018, we knew we had a major challenge on our hands.

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Customer satisfaction was through the floor, overcrowding was the norm on most commuter routes, and we'd inherited a fleet of trains that were well past their sell-by date.

We'd taken on a daunting prospect and there was no guarantee we would succeed. But even then, the untapped potential of our transport network to transform lives was apparent.

We were clear about what we wanted to achieve and our plan to deliver a better railway. Meanwhile, the Welsh Government, to their great credit, provided sustained investment - despite the range of financial pressures they themselves were facing.

We always knew that transformation meant a long haul. It would take time to change the fundamental realities, and for the benefits to be felt by our customers - the people, businesses and communities we serve in Wales and Borders.

What we couldn’t predict was a global pandemic and its impact in terms of the way we live, work, and lead our lives - seismic change that continues to unfold even today.

Yet despite such profound challenges, we always felt we would reach a tipping point when customers would respond to the benefits of sustained investment: in new trains, more frequent services and a sustained improvement in performance that meant they could truly rely on rail.

There is still much to do - completing the South Wales Metro, further progress on Network North Wales, and crucially the rollout of bus franchising that will see us start to deliver our vision of one network, one timetable, one ticket across Wales.

We're also only ever as good as the last journey a customer has experienced, and people will rightly challenge us vociferously if that last journey was delayed, overcrowded, or cancelled.

But the national conversation on public transport has undoubtedly started to shift.

The summer of concerts we've just seen in Cardiff are a case in point.