Blogs on the South Wales Metro (or Cardiff Metro), transport, politics, bees and other stuff…
Wales has £4bn+ of rail enhancements in development....but where is the formal Wales Rail Enhancement Pipeline and when are Uk Gov going to fully devolve rail powers and funding so we can get on and deliver it out to 2040
The GBR Bill has just been published.... whilst much to applaud re industry rationalisation, sadly, for Wales, its more of the old Encyclopedia Britannica "for Wales, see England" mindset that sees Wales's major issues (control and funding) completely overlooked.
A brief reaction to the UK Governments 2025 Comprehensive Spending Review - and its impact on rail investment in Wales
A summary of the primary rail enhancement schemes needed in Wales to 2040 and justification for £4Bn commitment from UK Government to help deliver them.
My initial thought in response to the DfTs GBR Feb 2025 consultation and reference to the reality that the UK economy is held back as a result of the relative underinvestment in public transport in the UKs major cities and city regions (outside London) when compared to Europe
Welsh Government and Transport for Wales have made great progress with the development of the South Wales Metro - and deserve recognition for this enormous undertaking. However we can't sit still, there is more to do...Crossrail Phase 2 to address Metro gaps in Cardiff, revised staffing protocols to reduce operating costs, more overt bus/rail integration and for the region more TOD.
My December 2024 letter to Transport Minister Heidi Alexander re: lack of UK Government rail enhancement investment in Wales.
We can't stop once we have delivered the £1Bn South Wales Metro. To enable its wider benefits, we now need a Metro Economic Development and Regeneration Programme for Pontypridd and the Central Valleys.
Cardiff Crossrail Phase 2 is essential for the economy of the city & wider region. It will address the gaps in the current Metro Programme in Cardiff, and provide the foundation for the full Crossrail that has the biggest mode shift and economic impact potential of any scheme in Wales
Metro and other hopes (Crossrail, SWML, Brexit, PR, Severn Barrage, etc...) for 2025
....and why it's not happening fast or big enough! A version of this article appeared in the November 2024 edition of Rail Technology Magazine. I presented at Connected Places Catapult event in Leeds in November on this subject and will also present at the UK 2025 Rail Summit, so this is a timely blog. It’s … Continue reading Why the UKs City Regions need Metros…
It’s now fifteen years since I first set out my ideas for a Cardiff Capital Region Metro (or South Wales Metro) and just over 13 since my report, “A Metro for Wales Capital City Region” was published with the Cardiff Business Partnership and Institute of Welsh Affairs. It was in Autumn 2015 that FM Carwyn … Continue reading How to build a Metro…
July 2024 I cover some of these issues and wider opportunities re Metro in the Cardiff Capital Region in my book, "How to build a Metro", published on October 2024. This station should have happened already! PS Autumn/Summer 2025 - Planning issues removed and UK Gov via CSR have committed some funds (not enough yet) … Continue reading Cardiff Parkway…
PS November 2024. I covered and updated some of these details in my book, "How to build a Metro". Take a look! PS Feb 2025: I published a blog "My suggestions for WG and TfW Board" in Feb 2025, which covers some of the points set out below Despite the naysaying and the covid induced … Continue reading Metro, subsidies & Cardiff… Some tough choices and compromises?
On February 13th, 2024, Sarah Atherton MP published a piece in the Wrexham Leader criticising a number of Welsh Government decisions and/or implications thereof of as regards transport. 'Plan for increased use of public transport is fundamentally flawed' | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk) Whilst I have no problem with an honest and reasoned critique, most of … Continue reading There must be an election coming up…