Agenda item

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, Councillor Gwynfor Owen will propose as follows:-

 

The Cambrian Coast Railway is of immense importance to the economy of Gwynedd, with thousands of visitors using it, but more importantly, the people of Gwynedd themselves use this Railway on a daily basis to go to school, work, to shop or for leisure purposes.

 

Transport for Wales have recently stated that they want to cut the number of trains running along the line.

 

The way to improve train use is by increasing the number of trains and definitely not cutting them.

 

This Council makes it clear to Transport for Wales and to the Welsh Government, who are the owners of Transport for Wales, that any cut in the number of trains on the Cambrian Railway is not acceptable, and instead they should look at how to increase the number of trains throughout the year.

 

The Cambrian Coast Railway is of immense importance to the economy of Gwynedd, with thousands of visitors using it, but more importantly, the people of Gwynedd themselves use this Railway on a daily basis to go to school, work, to shop or for leisure purposes.

 

Transport for Wales have recently stated that they want to cut the number of trains running along the line.

 

The way to improve train use is by increasing the number of trains and definitely not cutting them.

 

This Council makes it clear to Transport for Wales and to the Welsh Government, who are the owners of Transport for Wales, that any cut in the number of trains on the Cambrian Railway is not acceptable, and instead they should look at how to increase the number of trains throughout the year.

 

 

(A)      Submitted – the following notice of motion by Councillor Gwynfor Owen under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-

 

The Cambrian Coast Railway is of immense importance to the economy of Gwynedd, with thousands of visitors using it, but more importantly, the people of Gwynedd themselves use this Railway daily to go to school, work, to shop or for leisure purposes.

 

Transport for Wales have recently stated that they want to cut the number of trains running along the line.

 

The way to improve train use is by increasing the number of trains and certainly not cutting them.

 

This Council makes it clear to Transport for Wales and to the Welsh Government, who are the owners of Transport for Wales, that any cut in the number of trains on the Cambrian Railway is not acceptable, and instead they should look at how to increase the number of trains throughout the year.

 

The member set out the context to his motion, and noted:-

 

·         That the Council once again found itself discussing how rural Gwynedd was being treated by the organisations that made decisions on our behalf, slowly bleeding us of our existence and turning us into nothing more than a Leisure Park for Visitors.

·         As one who represented the village of Llanbedr on the Council, he was tired of hearing the message that his constituents had to stop using their car and use public transport instead.  This was easy to say if you lived on the M4 corridor or maybe the A55, but impossible for those living on the western coast of Gwynedd.

·         Transport for Wales planned to remove four trains a day, with the last train of the day to leave Pwllheli at 17:42 between December and March and 19:30 in the summer, and the last train of the day to leave Machynlleth at 19:04 in the winter and 20:55 in the summer.

·         He had a meeting scheduled soon with the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates, MS, to discuss the Llanbedr Bypass, and he would also be raising the point regarding trains, as he had been given to understand that the Cabinet Secretary had already approved the changes.

·         He wished to thank the MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor, and MP Liz Saville Roberts, and also the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig, for clearly stating their complete objection to these plans.

·         When the Cambrian Coast Railway Committee had last met on 22 March, Transport for Wales mentioned nothing about potentially cutting the number of trains, and the Chair of the Committee had agreed to his request for an urgent meeting of the Committee to discuss the situation.

·         Transport for Wales were subject to the Welsh Language Standards. Had an assessment of the Welsh language been made when implementing these changes?  It appeared that the Welsh Government, through Transport for Wales, were once again turning their backs on our Welsh language strongholds

·         If Wales were an independent country, we could look at what was best for us in Wales, and Transport for Wales money would stay in Wales rather than being spent in England on projects that were titled England and Wales projects.

·         Transport for Wales were claiming that they had looked at the service user figures, but clearly, Covid and the major work on the infrastructure had greatly affected the numbers over the past 3-4 years. A high-standard, regular and reliable service would certainly lead to an increase in the number of passengers.

 

Members expressed their keen support to the motion.  The following points were noted:-

 

·         With cuts having already been made to the bus services, Integrated Transport no longer existed in this part of Wales.

·         Residents were restricted to their homes, with no social life, and were being deprived of the opportunity to earn a living in some instances.

·         It would be useful if the extraordinary meeting of the Cambrian Coast Railway Committee on 24 May could be web-cast so that the public could see what the members were endeavouring to do about the situation.

·         The Welsh Government did not understand what it meant to live in a rural area, and that cutting the number of trains would have a significant impact on the area's economy and tourism industry.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the motion, namely:-

 

The Cambrian Coast Railway is of immense importance to the economy of Gwynedd, with thousands of visitors using it, but more importantly, the people of Gwynedd themselves use this Railway on a daily basis to go to school, work, to shop or for leisure purposes.

 

Transport for Wales have recently stated that they want to cut the number of trains running along the line.

 

The way to improve train use is by increasing the number of trains and certainly not cutting them.

 

This Council makes it clear to Transport for Wales and to the Welsh Government, who are the owners of Transport for Wales, that any cut in the number of trains on the Cambrian Railway is not acceptable, and instead they should look at how to increase the number of trains throughout the year.