A £343M boost is today being given to Welsh rail services including modernisation of Cardiff Central Station and signalling on the line to Aberystwyth.
UK Government Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has set out is setting out the plans for a raft of schemes to be funded including kickstarting the design of the Cardiff Central station upgrade, advancing plans for cutting-edge digital signalling on the Cambrian line, and speeding up journeys between Cardiff and Swansea.
About £5.8m has been released to fund work on a new, modern design for the Cardiff Central station upgrade, focused on improving access and ensuring platforms are suited for longer trains, boosting space and capacity for passengers.
The Transport Secretary has also announced £3m to advance plans for upgraded signalling on the 241-kilometre Cambrian line from Shrewsbury Sutton Bridge Junction to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The planned state-of-the-art digital signalling system will modernise the network, improving the reliability of services, and supporting the introduction of a new fleet being rolled out across the network in December 2022.
In addition, almost £2m has been made available for the next phase of development work on proposals to speed up journeys between Cardiff and Swansea, Chester and Llandudno Junction, and the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff, through better aligned tracks and exploring putting additional services on the lines.
The announcement of these new projects follows major reforms to the network over the past months, such as completion of a fully electric route between Cardiff and London, and the devolution of powers over the Core Valley line to the Welsh Government.