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SENEDD members have called for government intervention to deal with delays to the rollout of new trains in Wales.
The climate change, environment and infrastructure committee make the call in its annual scrutiny report on Transport for Wales (TfW).
The committee expresses concern that the introduction of new trains is being hit by delays due to manufacturers failing to meet deadlines.
Public money is being used to buy the trains and the report urges TfW to ensure that this last part of the contract is delivered on time, recommending intervention by Transport Secretary Ken Skates.
The Senedd members say the UK government’s plan to renationalise rail services and create Great British Railways (GBR) represents a significant change in rail governance.
According to the report, there is uncertainty about how rail services in Wales will be affected and TfW must continue to work with the two governments to ensure that Welsh interests are considered in the development of GBR.
The report also covers bus services, noting that Wales has experienced the slowest post-pandemic recovery in bus passenger numbers in Britain.
Passenger numbers in Wales in the year to March 2024 were at 78.3 per cent of their pre-Covid-19 levels, compared with 89.5 per cent for Britain as a whole, it found.
The report says that the Welsh government Bill bringing bus services back into the public sector in the current Senedd term means that TfW should address these issues before the bus franchising change take effect.
With about 190,000 journeys made by bus every day in Wales, the Bill aims to stop companies axing unprofitable routes.
The Welsh government was asked to respond.
