THE MS for Clwyd South says he is 'confident' that rail services will 'continue to improve' for passengers in north Wales.
Ken Skates was speaking after the UK Government announced plans to begin the process of bringing rail services into public ownership across Great Britain.
The plans, outlined in the King’s Speech, support the Welsh Government’s longstanding call to be allowed to retain the Wales and Borders rail service within the public sector.
This legislative change will help secure the position of Transport for Wales allowing them to maximise the benefits of integrating rail with other forms of public transport, particularly buses, through the forthcoming Welsh Bus Bill.
Mr Skates, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, said: "I welcome the UK Government’s commitment to end rail franchising and bring rail services back into the public sector."
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He added: "This is something we have long been calling for, so it’s fantastic to see this becoming a reality under a new UK Government.
"The railway is a fundamental public service belonging to us all, and its place is in the public sector rather than in the hands of shareholders and private investors.
"We are demonstrating the benefits of a publicly owned rail operator that is focussed on delivering for people, not profit, with Transport for Wales now the most reliable operator in Wales.
"I have already met with UK Government Secretary of State for Transport to set out our priorities for rail reform in Wales and now that we have a UK Government that wants to work with us to deliver this change, I am confident we can continue to improve services for rail passengers across Wales and the Borders."
Just last week, readers got in touch to tell us their views on the current standard of transport in north Wales.
Concerns were raised over journey times, the frequency of both buses and trains and more.
North Wales Business Council members have also raised concerns over the standard of trains in the region.
The group has called on Sir Richard Branson to come to the rescue after an investigation revealed over 20% of direct trains between North Wales and London get cancelled.
Members are calling on the legendary entrepreneur to launch an “open access” rail path on the route operated by Avanti West Coast.
According to the Business Council, it would be a case of going back to the future because Sir Richard’s Virgin Group successfully ran the service for 20 years before the contract was awarded to Avanti in August 2019.
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