Showing posts with label Peredur Owen Griffiths MS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peredur Owen Griffiths MS. Show all posts

Thursday, September 25, 2025

WALES IS THE WORST NATION FOR TRAIN CANCELLATIONS AS A RESULT OF HISTORIC UNDERFUNDING

The Latest statistics have revealed that Wales has the highest train cancellation rates of all UK nations.


Data highlighted by the BBC, from the Office for Rail and Road, has shown that Wales has the highest percentage of railway stops cancelled between 18 August 2024 to 16 August 2025, at 3.9%, compared to 3.5% and 2% in England and Scotland respectively.


The statistics show that 6 of Wales’ 10 busiest railway stations had a cancellation rate higher than the UK average. In Scotland, none of the 10 busiest stations in the nation were above the UK average.


A Plaid Cymru MS has attributed this high rate of cancellation to the historic underinvestment of Welsh railways, over ‘decades of consecutive UK Governments, both red and blue’.


Several different sources, including the Welsh and UK Government, have admitted an underinvestment of several billion pounds into Welsh railway enhancements.

Plaid Cymru’s transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths said that Wales had been underinvested in ‘for decades, without even mentioning the £4billion from HS2’.


Mr Owen Griffiths went on to say that Welsh railways would never operate as effectively as the people of Wales deserve, until powers over rail infrastructure were devolved to Wales.


Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said:


“These statistics will come as a disappointment, but not as a surprise to the thousands of people in Wales that rely on our trains here in Wales. Too many of them have stories of cancelled trains and days ruined.


“The UK Government should hang their heads in shame about the dire state of Welsh railways. The connection between the billions of pounds of historic underinvestment, of the lack of electrified railways, and the sky-high cancellation rate is as clear as day.


“Despite the obvious impact the UK Government’s snubbing of Welsh infrastructure has on our railway services, they continue to deny us of the £4billion we’re owed from HS2, and won’t even start to undo the damage of underinvestment in decades gone by.


“The powers over rail infrastructure must be devolved to Wales - the UK Government has shown itself  incapable of investing adequately in Wales, and it’s time we were allowed to do it ourselves.


“Both Tory and Labour Governments have kept this scandal going, proving that all the Westminster parties don’t care about Wales. Only Plaid Cymru are serious about investing in Welsh communities to improve the services available to the people of Wales.”


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Sunday, August 17, 2025

LABOUR ARE NOT EVEN TRYING

Plaid Cymru have revealed that there has been no official correspondence between UK and Welsh Government on East West Rail


A recent Plaid Cymru FOI request has confirmed that there has been no official correspondence between the Welsh Government and the UK Government regarding the reclassification of the East West Rail project.


The response to the FOI request, which requested ‘all ministerial correspondence’ on the reclassification of East-West rail, revealed that the information ‘is not held by the Welsh Government’.


Since the revelation that the UK Labour Government have re-classified the East West rail project, Plaid Cymru have consistently made the case that the Labour Welsh Government is taking Wales for granted on the issue - given that they have failed to challenge Keir Starmer’s decision to ‘take money away from Wales’.


The Labour UK Government decision to reclassify the rail project between Oxford and Cambridge as a ‘England and Wales project’ means that Wales will lose the Barnett consequential funding for the project, projected to be around £360 million in this new spending review period.


Plaid Cymru’s transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths has accused the Labour Welsh Government of prioritising party loyalties over fighting for ‘the millions of pounds that Wales is owed’.


Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths, said:


“The Labour UK Government have chosen to take hundreds of millions away from Wales by reclassifying East West rail as an ‘England and Wales’ project – and this FOI only further confirms that Labour in Wales have chosen to do nothing about it.


“Geography dictates that this project won't benefit Wales - it’s yet another blatant example of how we’re being denied the funding that we’re owed.


“We were told that two Labour governments would mean a ‘partnership in power’ delivering for Wales. Yet, when Keir Starmer actively, consciously, takes money away from us, Labour in Wales is silent – in another case of putting party loyalties and their Westminster bosses before the people of Wales.


“At risk of rocking the Labour boat, it appears that Eluned Morgan won’t even send an email to ask for the millions of pounds that Wales is owed.


“Time’s up for this Welsh Labour Government that has taken Wales for granted for far too long. 2026 offers the people of Wales a chance to elect a government that will be relentless in standing up for Wales – that is a Plaid Cymru Government."


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