Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has called for rail services in North Wales to be increased to help the region recover from the pandemic.
Services were reduced in 2020 in response to the pandemic, but James is concerned that despite all Covid restrictions having been lifted, they have not returned to normal.
Last week he raised the matter in Business Questions in the House of Commons, calling for a debate in Parliament on the need for rail services to return to normal, and to exceed that in North Wales.
He said:
“As we recover from the pandemic, rail services, particularly in north Wales, need to be scaled back up. Transport for Wales services remain less frequent than usual, while direct Avanti West Coast services to London Euston are running just twice per day.
“That is set to increase to four from May, but it is well below the six per day that there were before the pandemic. Will my right hon. Friend find time for a debate on the need for services not only to return to normal, but to exceed that in north Wales, to help drive investment in the regional network?”
Leader of the House, Mark Spencer MP agreed that the matter is worthy of further debate and encouraged James “to apply for an Adjournment debate at his earliest convenience so that he can highlight the challenges his constituents are facing and draw the House’s attention to where cross-border co-operation will assist and solve those challenges.”
Speaking afterwards, James said:
“If North Wales is to really get back on its feet, there need to be sufficient rail services to meet the demand.
“Even prior to the pandemic North Wales services were sometimes lacking, but passengers are now having to cope with a service which is just not delivering. Twice daily direct services to London are simply not good enough.
“I am pleased that the Leader of the House agreed that services need to be scaled up and I am in ongoing dialogue over the matter with the train companies which operate in the region.”
