FOR WALES, SEE ENGLAND

The UK Railways Bill does nothing to address ‘injustice’ of Welsh railways funding, says Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru has today (Tuesday 9 December) warned that the UK Government’s Railways Bill locks Wales into a broken funding and governance system and fails to recognise the need to devolve powers over railways to Wales.

Ahead of the first debate on the Railways Bill in the House of Commons today, Plaid Cymru’s transport spokesperson in Westminster, Ann Davies MP, said that while the Bill may simplify rail operations in England, it completely fails to address Wales’ lack of control over its own rail infrastructure and the billions in funding the nation loses as a result.

Ms Davies said that the Labour UK Government has “decided to follow the age-old adage that ‘for Wales: See England’ when it comes to this bill. She said it was a “travesty” that a nation which built the first steam locomotive, supplied the steel and coal that powered the UK’s railways is the “only nation in Great Britain without control of its own network.”

The Railways Bill will create Great British Railways (GBR), integrating track and train operations, centralising long-term planning, ticketing and service management for England. But under the Bill, Wales remains tied into an “England and Wales” structure, despite transport being a partly devolved responsibility to Wales.

Plaid Cymru has criticised the legislation for:

• No devolution of rail infrastructure – Unlike Scotland, which has had full control over rail since 2005 and produces its own Long-Term Rail Strategy, Wales will only be ‘consulted’ on an England-and-Wales strategy
• Continuing the broken split in responsibilities – Different governments control different parts of the Welsh network, making coherent rail planning for Wales impossible.
• Zero action on unfair funding – The Bill ignores the billions Wales has lost through the misclassification of major English rail projects such as HS2, East-West Rail, and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
  

Recent analysis shows Wales is set to lose out on roughly £6 billion from these decisions alone. By designating them as “England and Wales” schemes – despite not a single centimetre being built in Wales – the UK Government avoids triggering Barnett consequentials. Scotland and Northern Ireland receive funding; Wales receives nothing.

Ahead of the debate, Ann Davies MP said:

"This bill makes sense for England. However, it does not work for Wales. It fails to address our lack of control over the Welsh rail track, where two governments manage different parts of what should be a single network. This split makes planning railways in the best interests of the people of Wales almost impossible.

“We can see this in the broken promise to electrify the South Wales Mainline beyond Cardiff, or even to start work on the equivalent line in the north. Scotland, by contrast, controls its rail network and sets its own strategy, giving Scottish ministers real influence over Great British Railways. Under this Bill, Welsh ministers can only ask to be consulted – Wales does not want consultation, we deserve control.

“This Government is following the old adage: 'For Wales, see England.' It is a travesty that a nation which built the first steam locomotive, supplied the steel and coal that powered the UK’s railways, is the only nation in Great Britain without control of its own network. Plaid Cymru is clear: Welsh rail should be in Welsh hands. It is time to devolve rail to Wales."

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