Parliamentary, business and local authority leaders in the Growth Track 360 and Mersey Dee Alliance partnerships explained their case for cross-border rail infrastructure investment at a fringe meeting during the Welsh Conservatives’ Conference in Newtown, Powys on 20 May.
Dr James Davies, Conservative MP for Vale of Clwyd and Chair of the Mersey Dee and North Wales All Party Parliamentary Group, said:
“Improved rail connectivity is widely understood as an enabler of regeneration and is an essential component in addressing deprivation in the coastal towns of North Wales such as Rhyl. The opening of the Elizabeth Line in London reminds us that journeys in the Mersey Dee and North Wales region continue to take much longer than trips over comparable distances in the South East. Investing in rail is one of the best ways to boost our regional productivity, create employment opportunities and address the need to hit our Net Zero Carbon target.”
Other speakers highlighted Growth Track 360’s priority projects for rail investment, notably modernisation of the Wrexham-Bidston line to provide direct services into central Liverpool, electrification of the North Wales Main Line and the transformation of Chester station into a twenty-first century gateway to the region.
