Rail cash 'short-changing' Wales

Wales is being short-changed in the 10 year year blueprint to modernise the rail network, according to an industry analyst.

The Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) plan for spending more than £70bn across Britain on rail services through the next decade.

Professor Stuart Cole from the Wales Transport Research Centre has estimated that the rail network in Wales will receive just £20m a year under the scheme - one fifteenth of the money he says it needs to upgrade and improve services.

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Campaigners have accused the latest plans unveiled on Monday of lacking ambition, but the SRA has defended the amount of money coming to Wales under its plans.

"£300m a year over 10 years is what we are really looking for," Professor Cold said.

He said Wales together with Yorkshire, the West Country and Scotland were not getting their "fair share."

Money which should have gone to these corners of the UK was going towards services in the south east of England, said Professor Cole.

The Channel Rail link and services on both the West Coast and East coast were also getting the lion's share at the expense of Wales, he said.

However, Chris Austins from the SRA said money was coming to Wales for upgrading services and capital investment.

Only last week he said £575,000 was spent on upgrading the Taff Corridor, providing commuter links to the north of Cardiff.

Among the capital investment projects outlined in the plan was a £10.5m commitment to upgrade the Vale of Glamorgan line, said Mr Austins.

"You can achieve an awful lot on these routes througfh relatively low amounts of expenditure... and that is what we have pledged to do"

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Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Helen Mary Jones criticised the plans as "very unambitious and disappointing".

Ms Jones - a member of the Welsh Assembly's Environment, Planning and Transport Committee - said they did not address the issue of intergration within Wales.

"The power over rail needs to be devolved to the assembly so that we can direct the SRA what to do," she said.

The rail package includes little that is actually new for Wales.

Fifty Wales and Borders stations will be in line for a face-lift.

Major initiatives like the reopening of the Vale of Glamorgan line and the introduction of new rolling stock on the North Wales to London route have already been announced by either the Welsh Assembly or train operating companies.

Campaigners here are already repeating calls for Wales to get its own transport authority with ring-fenced funding.

Britain's railway are consided Europe's worst

Clive Williams of the Rail Passenger Committee Wales said: "It is now time for the Treasury to steady its nerve and get provision on a par with what our European partners take so very much for granted."

In October 2001, plans to create a single operator for rail services across Wales moved a little closer.

Train services in north-east Wales which were operated by Central Trains are now the responsibility of Wales and Border Trains which has its headquarters in Cardiff.

The unification of regional rail services in Wales is expected to be completed in 2002.