Institute of Welsh Affairs

Welsh Rail Services need French Funding Levels, says Rail Expert

Wales’s rail links with the south-east of England from both north and south need the kind of investment French railways have enjoyed if they are to give equal efficiency and value for money, a leading transport expert argues in the latest issue of agenda, the journal of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

Prof. Stuart Cole, director of the Wales Transport Research Centre at the University of Glamorgan, claims new track from London to south Wales and the south west could be economically justified even with a price tag of £3.5bn, bringing travel times between London and Cardiff down to 70 minutes and creating benefits similar to those now coming from the extension of the Channel Tunnel rail link.

These benefits would include reduction in journey times for rail and road users, transfers from other transport modes, crowding and congestion relief, employment creation and environmental improvements.

According to Prof. Cole, such a scheme, which has already been proposed as a long term option by First Group, whose subsidiary First Great Western, operates the current south Wales and West of England franchise, would, as in France, use out of town station sites connecting to good road transport links, possibly at Landore in Swansea and in Wentloog for Cardiff and Newport.

Prof. Cole points out that the current lines are already running at close to capacity as a result of the introduction of half-hourly services from London to Cardiff and Bristol as well as increased cross-country services, and that rebuilding existing lines is disruptive and adds time costs to current travel.

In France, the article points out, considerably greater distances are covered over the same time period than in Britain as a result of the use of faster trains and dedicated high speed lines. Bordeaux, which is 350 miles from Paris, can be reached as quickly as Swansea can from London 200 miles away and at a significantly lower cost - 17p per mile as against 27p per mile. The French, too, are pushing ahead with further high-speed train services, while in Britain there are no plans to go beyond the current extension of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link into London.

The different approach – apart from the greater distances in France – are partly down to higher rail construction costs in Britain, which are 30 – 70 per cent higher than in other EU member states. These costs could be reduced, Prof. Cole argues, through a tighter and unchanged specification of the work, and by reducing the length of time involved in the planning inquiry process. Decision to build to meet the actual market rather than a possible market would also help.

The Department for Transport’s risk analysis methodology is also too rigorous, while the use of private finance demands a higher financial return on the risk taken so that while the short term affordability problem is solved, the longer-term cost may be higher.

For further information contact Prof Stuart Cole 029 2061 9703 or Institute of Welsh Affairs 029 2066 6606.