POLITICIANS and business leaders from North Wales and Cheshire West and Chester have welcomed a report recommending urgent improvements in rail infrastructure across Wales and enhancing connectivity with England.

The publication of the cross-party Welsh Affairs Committee’s report calls for the UK Government to prepare a full strategic case for the upgrade and electrification of the North Wales mainline.

It also concludes that HS2 should be re-classified as an England-only scheme and incorporate improvements around Crewe and Chester to enable Wales to benefit.

Growth Track 360, which was one of seventeen organisations and individuals who submitted written evidence to the committee’s inquiry, has welcomed the report.

Chair and leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council, Councillor Louise Gittins, said: “The all-party House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee has taken on board Growth Track 360’s well-developed proposals for maximising the economic potential of the integrated economy embracing North Wales and the Mersey Dee region through investment in cross-border rail connectivity.

"The Committee’s interesting idea for bringing the governments of the UK and Wales and rail institutions together in a Wales Rail Board could help to align planning and investment decisions but it is vital that such a body is a powerhouse of action fuelled by serious investment of money rather than another debating chamber.

"To that end, it will be essential that regional economic development bodies have seats at the table and can drive the agenda."

Growth Track 360 Vice Chair and leader of Flintshire Council, Councillor Ian Roberts, added: “The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee recommendations prove that political and business leaders in our cross-border region are literally on the right track when it comes to urging the need for rail investment.

"Flintshire Council’s recent bid to the UK Levelling Up Fund for £30 million of investment in the Wrexham-Liverpool railway exactly chimes with the Committee’s views and the recent interim report from Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review, so we look forward to all of these factors being joined up when the UK Department for Transport is evaluating our proposals."

Former Welsh Government Transport Minister Ken Skates believes the re-classification of HS2 as an England-only scheme "could in turn generate huge consequential funds for Wales".

He said: “While transport is devolved to Wales, responsibility for track, station infrastructure and signalling remains with Westminster.

"Over the past 20 years, Wales has had less than 2% of the £102bn that the UK Government has spent on improvements, despite us having 5% of the population and 11% of the track miles.

"I welcome the publication of this cross-party report and its recommendations, and look forward to the UK Government moving to implement them as quickly as possible."

Jack Sargeant, MS for Alyn and Deeside, added: “The recommendations of this cross-party report would mean much better funding for Wales through the Barnett formula."

North Wales MS Carolyn Thomas said: “North Wales has a number of key cross-border routes, such as the Wrexham to Bidston and Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury/Birmingham lines.

"This report clearly states that there is a strong environmental and economic case for substantially enhancing the rail infrastructure that serves Wales and that ‘the passenger experience of slow services and inadequate stations only underlines the need for an upgraded network’.

“This investment is desperately needed and we need the UK Government to give it the green light."