Chair of Committee welcomes rail electrification plans

"I strongly welcome the Government’s announcement to extend the electrification of the Great Western Main Line from Cardiff to Swansea, and to electrify the Valleys lines into Cardiff. 

These are both issues that the Welsh Affairs Committee has pursued with vigour in the past couple of years. We made specific recommendations to the Government that both electrification schemes should be taken forward in our recent report into Inward Investment in Wales. I am pleased that the Government has taken on board our views, as well as many others who campaigned for rail investment in Wales.

These improvements will allow passengers to benefit from shorter journey times and newer trains, and will help to unlock significant economic and employment opportunities throughout Wales.

We will call ministers from the Department for Transport and the Welsh Assembly Government in October to provide further information about the electrification schemes as part of our ongoing inquiry into cross-border road and rail connectivity."