Priorities for the future of Welsh Rail Infrastructure

This ambition is commendable. Future committees of the Assembly
will need to keep a close eye on developments as further details
emerge.
North Wales
Mainline speed improvements
Two main elements emerged in terms of the North Wales Mainline
– line speed and electrification. Tim James, Network Rail, said:
“There are many benefits from modernising north Wales. In
fact, there are two choices for funders within our paper. One of
them, which is probably a timely precursor, is some work to
improve line speeds between Chester and Holyhead anyway, as
part of work we’re doing to re-signal the line, which needs
some funding—roughly about £20 million—which will give
journey time savings, which is a good precursor, then, to any
electrification.” 16
Rebecca Maxwell, on behalf of the North Wales Economic
Ambition Board (NWEAB), highlighted the importance of improving line
speeds. She said:
“In terms of the condition of the rail service—the rail network—
in north Wales, the main difficulties we see are that services are
too slow on the line. That leads to them being less frequent
than they need to be to encourage that shift from road to rail
use.” 17
Business case for electrification of the main line
A large number of stakeholders emphasised the need for
investment and improvements to the NWML, with many calling for its
electrification.
The Hendy Review – which sought to put more realistic dates on
Network Rail’s investment programme – has pushed a number of UK
electrification schemes from the current CP 5 into CP 6 (2019-24). The
16
Enterprise and Business Committee, written transcript, 11 February, Para 121.
17
Enterprise and Business Committee, written transcript, 28 January, Para 8.
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