Welsh Government admits it can’t afford to re-open St Clears railway …
The Welsh Government has admitted “we don’t have the money” to re-open a railway station which had been due to come back into use after 60 years. The original price estimate of £6m has doubled, Senedd members have been told.
Answering a question in the Senedd deputy minister Lee Waters said the original business plan showed a £6m cost to re-open St Clears railway station but that has now doubled. However the Department for Transport contribution “remains at £4.5m,” said Mr Waters. He added: “Now this is rail infrastructure. Rail infrastructure is not devolved.
“There’s an assumption in this scheme that the Welsh Government[1] will match-fund and we were willing to match-fund at a lower cost but we simply do not have the funds to match-fund at the higher costs. That is the truth of the situation.
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“We recognise the need for a station in St Clears and fully support it and want it to happen. I think the reality and the practicalities we face and the choices we have here is that we know there’s a plan for a large hospital nearby – public transport connectivity to that is critical. I think we need to be looking at those two developments in tandem. If the UK Government wants to take its responsibilities for rail infrastructure seriously and provide further funding we’d be very grateful to work with them.” For the latest politics news in Wales sign up to our newsletter here[4].
The station closed in 1964 but there were renewed hopes it would be re-opening from 2024. The nearest station for passengers living in and around St Clears is in Whitland – more than five miles away. You can
Speaking after the Senedd debate Samuel Kurtz, MS for Carmarthen[6] West and South Pembrokeshire[7], said: “Despite this project being greenlit a few years ago the Welsh Government have conflated the station build with the potential new hospital, seemingly making the station conditional on the hospital being built in St Clears. This means there has been no progress at all and, in this time, costs have risen.
“The UK Government committed nearly £5m to the project while the Welsh Government pledged another £1.6m. But the Welsh Government have not moved quickly enough. For a project that saw buy-in from the UK Government, the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales, and National Rail I and the community are disappointed by the dragging of heels by the Welsh Government on the re-opening of this station.”
References
- ^ Welsh Government (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Welsh Islamic centre says Labour leader Keir Starmer ‘gravely misrepresented’ visit (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ ‘Unsustainable’ future for Welsh councils as budgets shrink (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ For the latest politics news in Wales sign up to our newsletter here (%20https)
- ^ here. (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Carmarthen (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Pembrokeshire (www.walesonline.co.uk)