MPs on the Welsh Affairs Committee will question Minister for Rail, Lord Hendy, on the future of Wales’s rail infrastructure on Wednesday (5 March).

The session will explore how the UK Government plans to improve the rail network and what funding is available to deliver improvements.

In a letter to the Welsh Government in January, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander admitted Wales has had “low levels of enhancement spending in recent years”.

The HS2 project is at the heart of tensions over funding since it was first announced, with the scheme having been designated an England and Wales project despite no track being laid outside England.

If it had been labelled an England-only project, Wales would benefit from additional funding, which Plaid Cymru estimates to be worth around £4 billion.

Due to this classification, the Welsh Government does not receive additional funding as a result of spending on the multi-billion-pound project, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland.

‘Scandalous’

After First Minister Eluned Morgan labelled the classification of the HS2 project ‘scandalous’, MPs are expected to ask Lord Hendy why the UK Government has maintained HS2’s classification as a Wales-England project.

Appearing before the committee last month, The First Minister said: “We’ve had a recognition of historic underfunding – an important first step.

“I’m not sure if they’ll go as far as to say they’ll reclassify HS2, but we’ll keep on making the case.

“The important thing for me is that we get the investment. So, we will keep pushing.”

Spending Review

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens also recently told the Committee that rail was her “number one priority” going into the UK Government’s next Spending Review.

The Committee is expected to ask the minister to clarify whether the UK Government’s priority infrastructure projects for Wales will go ahead as planned.

It has indicated that it would prioritise proposals around the North and South Wales Mainlines and the Wrexham to Liverpool line, but did not confirm how, when and if these will be delivered.

MPs on the Committee are also expected to ask about the process of delivering new stations on the South Wales Main Line, including what lessons can be learnt from the planning delays of the controversial Cardiff Parkway station.

Other topics likely to be raised could include whether there are sufficient funds for Network Rail to maintain the ageing railway network, and any damaged caused by severe weather events which are becoming more frequent.