Stop "penny pinching" over rail services says AM

North Wales Liberal Democrat AM Aled Roberts has called on the Welsh Government to reinstate the original investment to dual the Wrexham to Chester line.

 

His call was made following the announcement of additional investment by the UK Government in Merseyside which opens up Liverpool and John Lennon Airport to direct rail services from North Wales.

 

“While the Welsh Government has bought Cardiff Airport and invested in proper rail dualling schemes in South Wales they have penny pinched in North East Wales so that only two-thirds of the Wrexham to Chester line will be dualled,” says Aled Roberts AM.

 

“This partial dualling will not allow for extra train services to run across the border into England from Wrexham and Flintshire even though a major announcement by the Coalition Government will improve connectivity between Liverpool, Cheshire and North Wales.

 

“The reduced scheme on which the Welsh Government is spending £41m provides only one extra train per 2 hours. This additional train is allocated to an additional service between Holyhead and Cardiff rather than improving services between North East Wales and Liverpool.

 

“The Welsh Government has concentrated on improving the Holyhead to Cardiff service which is worthwhile, but for a few £million more they could have allowed six more trains per hour to use the Wrexham to Chester line. That would offer the possibility of direct services to Liverpool or Manchester.

 

“More cross border services have even been demanded by Labour MPs in debates in the House of Commons and all the evidence suggests that the vast majority of people in North Wales are more interested in travelling across the border for work in preference to travelling to South Wales.”