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Today's formal announcement that the main railway line from London is to be electrified as far as Swansea is good news, as others have already noted. It's something for which Plaid have been campaigning for many years, and given that not so long ago there was considerable doubt as to whether the scheme to electrify the line would go any further than Bristol, there can be little doubt that having a Plaid minister in charge of transport has been a major factor in extending the project to Swansea. I know that Ieuan has done a tremendous amount of lobbying for this decision, and am pleased that it's paid off.
Following on from last week's announcement that the M4 relief road will not be built, it demonstrates a clear commitment both to a lower carbon footprint for transport, and a switch in emphasis to public transport.
It's important, however, that things don't stop there, and that we continue to campaign on a number of fronts, and there are two things in particular which I'd like to see.
Firstly, a clear forward plan for electrification of the line further west than Swansea. Not all the trains from London stop at Cardiff or Swansea - some come to Carmarthen as well, and an electrification programme which stops at Swansea is likely to lead to a requirement to change trains there for travel further west.
That's acceptable as an interim measure while the work continues – it would be wholly unrealistic to expect the whole job to be completed before starting to replace diesel rolling stock with electric trains – but I wouldn't want to see it used as a reason for ending the service to Carmarthen on a permanent basis.
Secondly, a commitment to a high speed link. Electrification of the existing line is not at all the same thing as linking Wales to the High-speed network; that would require the construction of a new line to the required standard – including a new crossing of the Severn. It's an ambitious and expensive project, but it's a key part of switching at least some short haul air traffic to the railways.
We need a route to be designated and protected, and we need a clear plan to be developed, for the delivery of this link, and we need the Welsh government and the UK Government to be undertaking preliminary work now.
It's excellent news that we are seeing a more strategic approach to transport planning, but we mustn't stop there.
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5 comments:
there can be little doubt that having a Plaid minister in charge of transport has been a major factor in extending the project to Swansea
Yes there can. There can be very considerable doubt. In fact, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the existence or actions of a Plaid transport Minister were material one way or the other.
About the only thing not in doubt is that the decision was taken by the UK government, and not by the Welsh Assembly Government. So the only thing we can do with certainty is congratulate the UK government for having made this decision.
Dai,
Certainly you are right that the decision was taken by the UK Government, and I'm more than happy to congratulate them on taking a good decision. But you surely cannot deny that until recently there was considerable doubt as to whether the scheme would extend beyond Bristol?
The Assembly Government lobbied hard for the project to be extended all the way through to Swansea - I think that's also a matter of public record isn't it? That lobbying was led by the relevant minister and was successful, so surely he gets at least a little credit?
you surely cannot deny that until recently there was considerable doubt as to whether the scheme would extend beyond Bristol?
I don't. Nor do I deny the possibility that a Plaid Minister was a factor in the result.
What I challenge is the suggestion that "there can be little doubt" that IWJ was a "major factor". I suspect any Assembly government of any stripe would have lobbied just as hard - why would they not? Whether that lobbying was a major factor, a minor factor or no factor at all in the result is pure speculation.
On another note, I also have to say that I found the identikit Plaid blogs praising IWJ to be rather amusing - good to see you're all following the centrally issued Lines To Take.
Dai,
"Whether that lobbying was a major factor, a minor factor or no factor at all in the result is pure speculation." Those of us who were not directly party to the lobbying and discussions can only put our own interpretation on events. Your interpretation and mine are clearly not the same.
"Plaid bloggers united in welcoming the implementation of a long-held Plaid policy." would hardly be an earth shattering surprise.
You misunderstand me. "Plaid blogs welcome decision" may not be noteworthy" but "Plaid blogs use near-identical formulation to shore up embattled leader" is.
I also like the idea of this being a Plaid policy. It's just one of many items on the wish list, without thought to affordability etc. If you get it, it is supposedly down to you. If you don't, it proves Wales should be independent. You therefore see demanding such things as a political win-win. Pretty dishonest stuff, really.
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