step in right direction rail powers for Wales

Nonetheless, this new political commitment is clearly a positive step in the right direction toward the full devolution of rail powers and funding, which is what Wales needs.

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Not least because full devolution and a fair, commensurate block grant adjustment, locks these commitments in place and avoids the risk of new ministers and/or governments at Westminster “changing their mind”.

I also think, in advance of a fully devolved settlement, this Wales rail enhancement pipeline needs its own Department for Transport budget line.

Overall, I accept this announcement as a positive step forward toward the ultimate goal of a fully devolved rail network in Wales.

I have no doubt the efforts of the First Minister, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens, Transport Secretary Ken Skates as well as UK Government Rail Minister Peter Hendy, were instrumental in raising the profile of Wales’ rail investment needs at Westminster to secure these political commitments. So, credit where credit is due

The TfW vision document, Today, Tomorrow, Together, is a pretty impressive list of possible rail investments in the Wales and Borders route over the next 15-20 years and reflects a significant effort over the last five years by TfW (some of which I helped initiate) and the support of the Welsh Government.

This effort has also precipitated a close and effective working relationship with Network Rail’s (NR) strategic planning team in Wales, key local authority and regional partners and Department of Transport (DfT) officials.

The collective capability and capacity led by TfW to undertake and lead such work is now far beyond what the UK Government's Department for Transport (DfT) and NR were historically able to achieve in respect of rail enhancements in Wales.

The level of ambition for Wales’ rail network is clear; this is something that was missing for decades but addressed in the period following the publication of my case for investment for Minister Ken Skates in 2018.