IN a recent communication relating to the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to provide an hourly rail service into Newport, Carl Sargeant stated his priority. This would depend on the number of bus passengers using the Rogertone-Newport connection. Since the reintroduction of the bus link, nothing has changed apart from the fact that the travel time has reduced from 40 to 20 minutes. Bus passenger numbers are pathetic.

In other words there will never be a Newport rail link unless somebody can explain to the minister, in simple language, so that he can understand that this connection means much more than bus passenger numbers.

There is an urgency to get less traffic on our overstretched roads. Our planners need to think further ahead. If they had not taken numerous short cuts when the Ebbw Vale line was re-opened, we would have our hourly Newport link.

In the short term they saved a lot of money. In the long term they will have to spend far more than they saved.

Ian Brewer, Melfort Road, Newport