SO, Blaenau Gwent AM Alun Davies says a rail link from Ebbw Vale to Newport is not in the best interests of the Valleys (Argus, August 6). Can he and his supporters not grasp that it’s not just about Newport and the Valleys (although the link is definitely needed), but the less than positive impression it gives to businesses and industry about the Welsh Assembly Government’s attitude towards transport and communications as a whole?

We are almost a quarter- way into the 21st century and still without a good, continuous road link from Cardiff to North Wales, the ferry ports, the heads of the valleys M4 to A449, a below-standard SDR and M4 serving Newport plus a rail network that could do with considerable updating. If the WAG and local councils stopped propping up charities of a dubious nature and revamping shopping malls/pedestrianisation schemes, there might be enough money to fund an improved transport system and give us a more prosperous economy.

A Greenhalgh, Ross Street, Newport