Newport rail link 'not best for Valleys’ - Blaenau Gwent AM

Alun Davies says he would like to see the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff line improved with a metro-style train service to the capital.

“I don’t think the voice of Blaenau Gwent has been heard, the debate has been driven by what’s best for Newport,” he told the Argus.

But his comments have been branded “nonsense” by one politician, and others have insisted there is still a need for an Ebbw Vale to Newport link.

The Argus has campaigned for a Newport passenger rail link for more than a decade.

In a letter to Transport Minister Carl Sargeant Mr Davies said that while he understood the campaign for the Newport link from the city’s perspective, “I must emphasise that this is not necessarily in the best economic, employment or social interests of Blaenau Gwent”.

He asked for all business cases to be based upon the line running from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff, with a bus link to Newport if necessary, since this provided “the strongest case from our perspective”.

He also called for a long-term plan that included a station at Ebbw Vale town and the Abertillery spur.

Mr Davies, a Labour AM who is also a deputy minister, said he would like to see a metro-style service to Cardiff running every ten to 15 minutes.

He said that the recent electrification announcement was critical, linking the county to a “fast railway network”.

He added that people were telling himthat Cardiff was key to providing access to jobs and leisure, cultural and social outlets, he claimed, and that they were “voting with their feet” with the bus link, which is not being well used, he said.

He said he would be happy to see a Newport service if there was a frequent service to Cardiff.

A Welsh Government spokesman said it will evaulate the success of the Newport to Rogerstone bus-link trial before determining the next steps.

He added additional services to Cardiff and services to Abertillery are not in the prioritised National Transport Plan and no business cases for additional services had been prepared.

AM's comments 'nonsense'

ALUN Davies’ comments were branded “nonsense” by Newport-based Tory AM William Graham, while Newport council leader Bob Bright said it wasn’t in the city’s and Blaenau Gwent’s interests to have an argument.

Mr Graham, a South Wales East AM, said the link was part of the original economic package provided when Llanwern steelworks shut: “This is absolute nonsense from Alun Davies, who clearly fails to see the bigger picture.”

Labour councillor Bob Bright said he didn’t think it “would be in the best interests of Blaenau Gwent or Newport if we started arguing among ourselves about this issue.”

He added he didn’t expect services to the capital to be sacrificed for Newport, but added “all we are asking is for Newport to be given a similar opportunity to benefit from regular train services between the Valleys and the city”.

Newport Lib Dem Cllr Ed Townsend said the way the city region will be successful is by ensuring people in areas like Blaenau Gwent can get to areas where there are likely to be jobs and not by making all the links to Cardiff.

Newport East Labour AM and Welsh Minister John Griffiths said a direct passenger link made “perfect sense for the people of Ebbw Vale and Newport”.

Islwyn Labour AM Gwyn Price said the line is crucial if people in Islwyn are to have access to jobs in Newport.

Blaenau Gwent council leader Hedley McCarthy said his council dissociated itself from such a letter, and as long as other services didn’t detract from current ones they supported any improvements.

He added: “We are working towards a rail link to The Works and General Offices, and we are also working towards the Abertillery Spur and the expansion of a service to include Newport.”

COMMENT: Most want the rail link

WE RESPECT everyone’s opinion and we respect that of Alun Davies, the Blaenau Gwent AM, who today tells us he can see no benefit in having a rail link between Ebbw Vale and Newport.

But we would very much like to see what hard evidence he has for not pushing for this link because we, and other politicians, firmly believe there is still a case.

Mr Davies believes the debate on the link has been driven by what’s best for Newport.

We have never said that.

Of course, we want Newport to benefit from shoppers coming in from the Valleys but we have also argued that people are missing out on employment opportunities in the city because the link has never been constructed.

Even now, ten years on from when we started a campaign to have the link up and running at the same time as the launch of the Cardiff line, we still have no firm explanation for why it can’t open or when it might open.

The world has very much changed in that decade but we still believe people in the Valleys are not being given the choice of shopping or working in Newport because of the lack of this line.

We have seen nothing yet to prove otherwise, and while Mr Davies is perfectly entitled to his view we don’t believe it to be the view of the majority.