19.11.18
Wales and Borders rail to receive £2bn government funding
Network Rail Wales and Borders has announced £2bn in government funding to be spent on a project to maintain and renew the Wales and Border railway routes.
The funding represents a 28% funding increase compared to the last five-year funding figure, and will be spent between 2019 and 2024 on improving reliability and reducing delays.
It is the first time Network Rail Wales and Borders has itself developed the funding plan, and the £2bn will go towards maintaining and renewing existing infrastructure on the border routes.
The route managing director for Network Rail Wales and Borders, Bill Kelly, called it “fantastic news” and said it came “at a time when we are seeing unprecedented levels of investment in the railway.”
“We’ve put passengers and our freight customers first in developing our five-year plan, which will make the railway safer and more reliable for the thousands of customers who use it every day.
“This record funding, together with the significant investment planned by our partners Transport for Wales, represents a truly once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform rail services for the people of Wales and Borders.”
During the next five years Network Rail will deliver a number of maintenance and renewal work to be carried out by Network Rail across the Wales and Border rail network, including renewing or refurbishing 398km of track and earthworks to improve the resilience of the railway in extreme weather.
It will carry out bridge and signalling renewals, and renew the Grade II listed Barmouth viaduct and Port Talbot resignalling scheme.
James Price, the chief executive of Transport for Wales, said: “We want the new rail service to lead to a significant improvement in people’s views and experiences of public transport in Wales and working closely with our partners is key to achieving this.
“We look forward to working with Network Rail to deliver the best possible service for customers, including importantly through increasing capacity and reliability.”
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