Western Gateway unveils ambitious rail plan to connect 248,000 more people

Image: Western Gateway

Political, business, and academic leaders gathered in Cardiff on Tuesday to launch the Western Gateway Rail Deal, a new plan aimed at transforming rail connectivity across South Wales and Western England. The initiative seeks to capitalise on new funding to connect an additional 248,000 people to local train stations.

The Rail Deal, developed in collaboration with local authorities, businesses, Transport for Wales, and Great Western Railway, outlines a phased approach to investment, promising new stations and halved journey times for the region’s five million residents. It identifies key priority schemes, including new stations, additional tracks, and capacity improvements, which could generate £17bn in economic benefits for the UK.

This announcement follows the Western Gateway Partnership’s initial Rail Vision launch in March 2023. Representatives from Network Rail, Great Western Railway, Transport for Wales, and the Railway Industry Association outlined their contributions to the plan’s ambitions. The Rail Deal proposes up to 30 new stations in its first two phases, notably the six ‘Burns’ stations between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction. These stations, along with associated Cardiff to Bristol/Cheltenham services, were subject to public consultation in 2024 and include the proposed privately funded Cardiff Parkway station.

The Western Gateway, a partnership of 28 local authorities, businesses, and universities, aims to unlock economic potential in the region. Research suggests the area could be the fastest-growing economy outside London by 2030 with improved cross-border collaboration.

It follows the launch of the partnership’s initial Rail Vision in March 2023.

Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of the Western Gateway Partnership, said: “The Western Gateway area is poised to be the fastest-growing region outside of London, yet it has not had the critical investment in public transport infrastructure that other areas of the country have seen, particularly in rail. This Rail Deal is deliverable and proportionate to the extraordinary offer that our economy presents to the UK.

“We recognise that we need to have clear strategic priorities to make sure we are ready to deliver the change we need at pace.  This deal shows we are serious and is a demonstration of collective will from across our local leaders, MPs, our transport bodies and the industry that is ready to deliver our area’s ambitions.”

Cllr Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council and Vice-Chair of the Western Gateway said: “We welcomed the acknowledgement from Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander MP on 16 January that Wales rail has been under-funded for years. We can clearly demonstrate through this Rail Deal that we have a shared vision and ambition to deliver for our communities to remedy this situation right away with only a relatively modest ask for investment.

“The Western Gateway has been crucial for unifying our area to gain the support we need to present this deliverable plan for our area’s rail services.  I’d like to thank our board of 28 local authority leaders for getting behind this plan and ask UK Government to work with us to make sure we can deliver on the scale we need.”

Dan Okey, Head of Regional and Welsh Development at Great Western Railway said: ‘We have worked closely with the Western Gateway and their Transport Body partners for several years and we welcome the collective ambition for investment. We know that rail connectivity plays a vital role in supporting our communities and the plans for sustainable economic growth.  At GWR we believe in looking to the future of our services, our trains and our network to make the railway more inclusive, more accessible and a more attractive proposition for customers. That is the ultimate ambition presented in this Rail Deal and we look forward to working with our partners at Western Gateway, Network Rail and across the industry to make it a reality’.

David McCallum Strategic Development Programme Manager and Rail Lead at Transport for Wales said: ‘This Rail Deal is consistent with the ongoing work of the Wales Rail Board and its investment priorities and demonstrates the economic value of cross-border travel, for access to jobs, education and leisure opportunities. Investment in the South Wales Relief Lines for example will unlock the development of the Burns Stations and increased services and connectivity to communities in South East Wales,  North Bristol and Gloucestershire; whilst the electrification of mainline services to Swansea will help Wales meet its net zero goals, with increased frequency, reliability and speed of services to support mode shift to public transport and open new opportunities for our communities’.

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