- Keir Starmer and First Minister Eluned Morgan commit to deliver plan to transform Welsh rail
- Making up for years of underinvestment by previous UK Governments with a new generational commitment
- Part of wider drive to get Britain building again and deliver a decade of national renewal – providing thousands of job opportunities for Welsh workers
- Proof of what can be achieved when UK and Welsh Governments work together
A generational UK Government commitment to modernise Welsh rail is set to support 12,000 jobs across Wales.
The Welsh and UK Government’s plan sets out a long-term commitment that will put an end to the previous government’s chronic chop-and-changing and underinvestment that held the country back for too long.
The Prime Minister is set to formally endorse the Transport for Wales vision for the future of Welsh rail today [Wednesday 18 February] – agreeing that it should set the framework for their pipeline of projects and committing the UK Government to work with the Welsh Government to deliver this pipeline as quickly as possible.
This investment will see the further transformation of Wales’ rail network, building on the Welsh Government’s £1.1bn in upgrading and electrifying the Core Valley Lines and £800m investment in a new rail fleet.
Together, both governments will provide better and more frequent services for passengers across the country, with the UK Government committing significant funding to deliver the next generation of Welsh rail projects.
Using the almost half a billion pounds promised this Spending Review, seven new stations are set to be built across Wales – a massive win for commuters and a boost for the construction industry. These are
- Magor and Undy
- Llanwern
- Cardiff East
- Newport West
- Somerton
- Cardiff Parkway
- Deeside industrial park
This is part of the Prime Minister’s broader plans to get Britain building again – an approach that will connect the people of Wales to the tens of thousands of jobs we are creating across the country, creating opportunities and helping the cost of living.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said
For too long, Wales has been let down by a UK government unwilling to do the hard yards and build the future they deserve.
This government is turning the page on historic dither and delay with seven new stations, thousands of jobs, and a generational commitment to build a rail network fit for Wales’ future.
This isn’t tinkering nor sticking plasters. This is investment for the long term – and change communities will feel. This is putting Wales on the front foot and getting Britain building again.”
New stations mean workers will find it easier to commute into Cardiff and Newport. These are Magor and Undy; Llanwern; Cardiff East; Newport West; and Somerton. Work will start on these later this year, with Magor and Undy expected to be the first of these stations to be completed.
A new station will finally get built at Cardiff Parkway to help service an estimated 800,000 passengers every year. This will unlock around 6,000 jobs in the industrial district, which will get revamped thanks to additional UK Government investment and an agreed approach to funding and delivering the station between UK Government, Welsh Government and private investors.
Another station is set to be built in North Wales – to service the Deeside industrial park. This is part of the plans to boost the Wrexham-Liverpool line to better connect the UK as a whole.
First Minister, Eluned Morgan, said
We are now in an unprecedented position to deliver the next chapter of transformation for rail services in Wales. We have secured long-term commitments to key projects and a renewed ambition for our rail network.
Changes of this scale don’t happen overnight but they do happen when there is vision, determination, and cooperation. We’ve already proved that with the Core Valley Lines, and we are beginning to see the same momentum with Network North Wales. When you have the ambition, the commitment and the will, real progress follows – and we have all three.
Today marks another important milestone for rail as Transport for Wales publishes an exciting and essential pipeline for future investment. This includes projects the length and breadth of our nation. We warmly welcome the UK Government’s support for these plans and for their commitment to putting right the injustice of Welsh rail underfunding left by the previous government.
In the near term, I’m pleased to see backing for the essential work at Padeswood and Buckley. This will transform journeys between Wrexham and Liverpool, unlock economic opportunities across north Wales, and allow plans for the new Deeside station to accelerate. I also welcome the UK Government’s support for Cardiff Parkway, and we remain committed to working closely with all partners to complete the full business case and development plans.
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said
After years of underinvestment in Welsh infrastructure, this UK Government is modernising and upgrading Welsh rail.
This investment in seven new stations and other upgrades will boost capacity across our network and transform the experience of thousands of passengers.
It is part of the generational investment we are making to improve Welsh rail which will better connect people with the well-paid jobs we are creating across the country and drive economic growth.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said
Railways in Wales have been left behind for too long, and passengers deserve better. They are long overdue faster, more reliable, better rail connections to jobs and opportunities, and infrastructure that supports communities and growth.
Today’s announcements will help deliver exactly that, with new stations up and down Wales, from Cardiff to Deeside.
Vernon Everitt, Chair of Transport for Wales, said
Transport is an enabler of sustainable economic growth, higher productivity, access to homes, jobs and education as well as greater opportunity for all. Supporting the Welsh Government’s vision for transport and working with the UK Government, Today, Tomorrow, Together sets out an ambitious agenda to make further progress in these areas through investment in rail services as part of an integrated transport plan.
In recent years we have delivered major improvements in transport for the people, businesses and communities we serve. This includes new trains and services, the wholesale transformation of the Core Valley lines and now significant enhancements to rail services as part of Network North Wales. We are also working hard to invest the funding allocated to Wales under the last spending review to bring further improvements to communities as quickly as possible.
We now need to go further. Today we set out a potential pipeline of future projects which will bring further benefits across the whole of Wales, and I am thrilled that today the UK and Welsh Governments have backed this vision wholeheartedly.
Transport for Wales Vision Document
The Wales Rail Board has developed its long-term vision for rail enhancement investment in Wales. TfW have published this vision as part of its document titled ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together A Vision for Wales across Wales and Borders’.
The Wales Rail Board is an intergovernmental board that will oversee the delivery of this pipeline of projects, with membership including Welsh and UK Governments, TfW and Network Rail.
UK Government’s commitment to deliver that vision
The UK Government endorses the TfW vision and agrees that it will form the basis of the Wales Rail Board’s pipeline of projects. UK Government also commits to working in partnership with the Welsh Government to deliver this pipeline as quickly as possible.
This represents a generational commitment to rail in Wales that began with the investments already made at the comprehensive spending review.
While the total cost of that pipeline of projects will change over time as the industry and these schemes develop, TfW currently estimate the total cost of all the schemes under consideration to be up to £14 billion. The pipeline is a generational transformational commitment, with exact, additional UKG funding allocations to be confirmed at future Spending Reviews.
The programme will directly create over 1,000 permanent new jobs. It will create over 6,000 new jobs during construction. And it will support thousands of new jobs in industries across Wales dependent on an improved transport network.
The long-term benefits of delivery of the 43 schemes with established development work (as identified in the vision) include
- £6.3 billion in wider economic benefits
- Up to 13.3 million new rail journeys each year
- 3.8 million fewer car journeys – a reduction of 115 million vehicle kilometres each year
- 55,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided each year
Current UK Government Rail Investment
The 2025 Spending Review allocated at least £445 million to rail enhancements in Wales; £302 million for infrastructure upgrades during this SR period, £95 million for further development, and £48 million for the Welsh Government for enhancements on the Core Valley Lines during this SR period.
South East Wales new (‘Burns’) stations and services
Established by Welsh Government in 2019 to identify ways of easing M4 congestion, the Burns Commission proposed the delivery of five new stations between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel Junction. The Burns Commission recommended the following stations Magor and Undy; Llanwern; Cardiff East; Newport West; and Somerton.
The 2025 SR settlement includes £90 million for these stations over the next four years to facilitate future new train services. The work on all five stations will begin this year with the expectation that construction of two will begin by 2029. The first station to be completed of the five is expected to be Magor and Undy.
South Wales Relief Lines Upgrade
The UK Government has allocated at least £40m to increase the line speed of the Relief Lines which run adjacent to the Main lines between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction. This will create 2 additional high-speed lines which will offer more flexibility for both freight and passenger services, improve performance, and create the capacity for train service growth.
The Full Business Case is due in Spring 2026 and work on this scheme will be aligned with the proposed new stations and services in South East Wales.
Cardiff Parkway
Cardiff Parkway is a new railway station proposed within the Hendre Lakes development near St Mellons, Cardiff. The development is part of a wider regeneration which combines the new station and a large business park.
The Cardiff Parkway development has been designed to transform connectivity between Cardiff, Newport and the wider region, supporting economic growth and levelling up.
Cardiff Parkway promises to become a catalyst for growth, contributing to the regeneration of East Cardiff and the wider Cardiff Capital Region by attracting high quality businesses and investment. The development has the potential to support around 6,000 jobs through its associated business park.
It will encourage people throughout South Wales to travel more sustainably, cutting journey times to Cardiff and Newport and connecting them to other areas of Wales and the UK. It is also hoped that the station will help ease congestion when major events are taking place in central Cardiff.
The UK Government is today announcing that we have agreed a plan with Welsh Government and private investors to take the project forward with additional UK Government funding made available to deliver the station.
The exact funding contribution from each partner and timeline for the station’s delivery will depend on subsequent development work.
Cardiff Central
The UK Government has allocated £59.8m for plans to transform Cardiff Central Station, Wales’ busiest railway station, bringing the total UKG funding for the project to £77.8m. This is supported by an additional £40m from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and £21m from the Welsh Government. Work on the station is due to get underway in Spring 2026, with the majority of the work completed by 2029.
Increasing service frequencies in the Cardiff area (Cardiff West Junction)
Over the next 3 years, the UK Government is investing up to £30m on infrastructure enhancements to increase the capacity of a key junction to the west of Cardiff station, which will enable an increase in services on the Core Valley Lines network.
This enhancement will be delivered as part of a renewal which is planned to take place to the junction in 2028, providing significant efficiency.
Increases in service frequency on the Wrexham – Liverpool
The Wrexham – Liverpool Line is constrained by current infrastructure near Padeswood Cement Works, reducing capacity and leading to Network Rail declaring the line as congested infrastructure in 2023.
UK and Welsh Government have worked with the North Wales Growth Deal – Ambition North Wales – who have agreed to co-fund the improvements to the main line arrangements into the Padeswood cement works freight facility. This will provide a seamless movement for freight trains off the main line and into the cement works rather than the time-consuming current movements.
This funding will enable UK Government to use its existing funding agreed at the spending review to take forward further schemes on this line, including an additional station to service Deeside Industrial Park, and safety, capacity and line speed improvements at Buckley.
These upgrades will unlock two trains per hour on the Wrexham – Liverpool line and enable more people to get to work by train.
North Wales Coast safety and service improvements
The UK Government is investing c.£30m in safety and service improvements on the North Wales coast Mainline. This includes the design and installation of two new accessible footbridges to replace 4 high risk level crossings at Prestatyn and Abergele on the North Wales coast Mainline and unlocking a TfW train service increase of 50% from May 2026. Construction is expected to complete in spring 2027.
