R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

Wales
Our investment
expenditure on the
Welsh Rail Network
will amount to £72M
over the next year
and £660M over the
next ten years
116
10.1 10.2
10.1 Introduction
The railway in Wales is an integral part of the GB network
and consists of some 1,411 route kilometres and 213
stations, providing significant links to other regions of Great
Britain and Europe. Long-distance passenger and freight links
are provided from north and south Wales via Crewe and
Bristol Parkway, with links to ferries to Ireland via Holyhead
and Fishguard.
A strong North–South link is provided by the route
between Newport,Hereford and Shrewsbury. Mid Wales
and the Cambrian coastline is served by regular services
from Birmingham via Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and
coastal stations to Pwllheli.The introduction of radio
signalling,modern trains and linespeed improvements in
recent years has resulted in much-improved services.
The network plays a significant local public transport
role in the major centres of population such as Wrexham,
Newport,Swansea and the Cardiff Valleys.Rural communities
in many areas are linked into the network which serves
social,journey-to-work,and tourist needs.
The netwo rk also provides for long-distance freight
haulage and links to major Welsh ports and ru ral areas.
O p p o rtunities exist for the development of intermodal tra f fi c
to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel direct rail serv i c e s .
Our investment expenditure on the Welsh Rail
Network will amount to £72M over the next year and
£660M over the next ten years.It is important to note that,
while these figures relate to the actual spend within Wales,
many of the investment schemes are an integral part of the
overall Route Strategies going beyond the Welsh border.
Also, investment on the routes connecting with the Welsh
network will benefit Wales, for example by reducing journey
times to and from other regions.
Maximising the benefits of the existing transport
network will contribute towards achieving sustainable
development and sharing the benefits of economic
prosperity across Wales.Wales is located peripherally to
Europe, and this has a marked impact on its transport needs.
Fast, modern,road-and-rail communications are widely
regarded as essential to the achievement of economic
regeneration,especially in the remoter and generally rural
areas of North West and South West Wales.
10.2 The Welsh Office and local authorities
We work with the Welsh Office and local authority land-
planning and transport committees to achieve an integrated
transport strategy within Wales.We look forward to
continuing this close working relationship with the National
Assembly for Wales.
We are already working in partnership with local
authorities to develop innovative schemes to grow the rail
business,make the network more attractive, and where rail
can provide a viable alternative to encourage Wales to be
less reliant on road transport.
We are progressing the enhancement of the Cardiff
Valleys Routes in partnership with South Wales Integrated
Fast Transit (SWIFT),which comprises local authorities and
transport bodies involved in the network;our aim is to
provide more frequent and faster rail services with improved
interchanges and to enhance freight capability.
We are wo rking closely with the Welsh Deve l o p m e n t
A g e n c y, N o rth Wales Economic Forum and other industry
p a rt n e rs to ensure the successful implementation of a nu m b e r
of schemes including increasing linespeeds in North Wa l e s .
Building on the success of recent partnerships – with
SWIFT,West Wales Rail Forum, Transport Integration in the
Gwent Economic Region and the South Wales Rail Forum –
Railtrack intends to play its part in delivering the
Government’s stated goal of an integrated transport system
both within Wales and through its links to other regions.
In addition, we are participating in the:
• European Task Force Transport Infrastructure Group for
Wales (European Objectives One and Two).
• Welsh Transport Advisory Group and its Working
Groups on Accessibility and Land-Use Planning.
We share information obtained from the Route Strategies
that we have recently prepared,to assist transport corridor
and package planning with the Welsh Office and local
authority rail forums.