With people in North Wales paying substantially more for train tickets than their counterparts in South Wales, Clwyd West MS and Shadow Minister for North Wales, Darren Millar, is urging the Welsh Government to take action to address the disparity,
Darren is concerned that journeys operated by the Welsh Government owned Transport for Wales (TfW) in North Wales are costing, in some cases, more than double the cost of comparable length journeys in South Wales.
He challenged the Cabinet Minister for North Wales, Ken Skates MS, in the Senedd over the huge disparity and unfairness for the people of North Wales.
In a question over the lack of investment by the Welsh Government in North Wales, Darren said:
“Let's talk about another issue where there's a huge disparity North Wales. Let's take Transport for Wales, for example. Ticket prices on Transport for Wales: between Swansea and Cardiff are £5.50 for a single ticket; a similar journey in North Wales between Llandudno Junction and Chester is £13.10. It's a huge, significant difference, which is grossly unfair.
“Why should people in North Wales pay double for their railway tickets, not get the investment in the metro that you promised them in a manifesto two manifestos back, and why should they put up with the unfair settlements that they receive in terms of capital investment from the Welsh Government?”
In his response, the Cabinet Secretary failed to provide a explanation for the disparity in ticket pricing.
Speaking after the meeting, Darren said:
“The Cabinet Secretary’s answers were quite frankly not good enough.
“He failed to outline what he is doing to address these problems and what specific action he will now take to deal with this disparity from Transport for Wales.
“It is grossly unfair than rail passengers in North Wales are suffering the consequences of this great train robbery in the region.
“The South Wales metro has been awarded in excess of £1 billion by the Welsh Government, and has a set of major infrastructure projects elsewhere in South Wales that are well under way. In the North, the metro project here has been allocated a mere £50 million. Even when accounting for population differences, South Wales is still getting more than five times the investment per capita than North Wales.
“Meanwhile they are building new hospitals in South Wales, yet despite making repeated pleas for them to deliver on their promise of a hospital to serve the people of North Denbighshire at the Royal Alexander Hospital in Rhyl, 13 years on we are yet to see a spade in the ground.
“There has also been a serious lack of investment in our road infrastructure in North Wales.
“For years we have been the poor relation and people in North Wales have simply had enough of watching all the money being pumped into South Wales.
"It is high time the Welsh Government started listening to the people of North Wales and took action to address this gross unfairness.”
