Don't take Neath off the main railway-line. #KeepNeathOnTrack

Don't take Neath off the main railway-line. #KeepNeathOnTrack

The Issue

For the attention of Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates
CC... UK Government Minister for Transport, Chris Grayling.

Dear Government Minister(s),

I draw your attention to the recent news that suggests that Neath will be taken off the main railway line from Swansea to London Paddington.

I am not in favour of this decision because I believe that taking Neath off the main line would have a detrimental effect to the economy and re-generation of our town. The station is already run-down and a hub for anti-social behaviour. Taking Neath off the main line would only worsen these problems. 

It would also have a negative impact on those who commute on the main-line to work, meaning they would have to take an extra connection to Swansea, Baglan or Port Talbot first.

Recent figures via research conducted by Plaid Cymru Councillor for Neath South Jamie Evans has found that:

  • Around 830,000 passengers used Neath train station a year, making it the second busiest station, behind Swansea in the historic county of West Glamorgan and busiest of the five stations in Neath Port Talbot.
  • The plans to remove Neath from the main line would mean commuters travelling to Cardiff from Neath would have to first catch a train to Swansea, Baglan or Port Talbot, meaning an increase in both cost and time taken to get to and from work.
  • People from Neath, Pontardawe, Skewen, Glynneath and the Dulais Valley would see no benefit at all from the “10 minutes” saved on a journey between Swansea and Cardiff.

I would gratefully ask you to reject this proposal.

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Bethan PhillipsPetition Starter
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Victory

This petition made change with 10,425 supporters!

The Issue

For the attention of Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates
CC... UK Government Minister for Transport, Chris Grayling.

Dear Government Minister(s),

I draw your attention to the recent news that suggests that Neath will be taken off the main railway line from Swansea to London Paddington.

I am not in favour of this decision because I believe that taking Neath off the main line would have a detrimental effect to the economy and re-generation of our town. The station is already run-down and a hub for anti-social behaviour. Taking Neath off the main line would only worsen these problems. 

It would also have a negative impact on those who commute on the main-line to work, meaning they would have to take an extra connection to Swansea, Baglan or Port Talbot first.

Recent figures via research conducted by Plaid Cymru Councillor for Neath South Jamie Evans has found that:

  • Around 830,000 passengers used Neath train station a year, making it the second busiest station, behind Swansea in the historic county of West Glamorgan and busiest of the five stations in Neath Port Talbot.
  • The plans to remove Neath from the main line would mean commuters travelling to Cardiff from Neath would have to first catch a train to Swansea, Baglan or Port Talbot, meaning an increase in both cost and time taken to get to and from work.
  • People from Neath, Pontardawe, Skewen, Glynneath and the Dulais Valley would see no benefit at all from the “10 minutes” saved on a journey between Swansea and Cardiff.

I would gratefully ask you to reject this proposal.

avatar of the starter
Bethan PhillipsPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Ken Skates AM
Ken Skates AM
Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport
Responded
“Please see attached response from the Welsh Government. I am writing regarding your petition via Change.org to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport titled Welsh Government: Don't take Neath off the main railway-line. #KeepNeathOnTrack. Rail infrastructure is reserved to the UK Government and it is therefore the Department for Transport that decides on how money is invested in the rail network. However, I wish to make very clear, as the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport has done many times in the National Assembly for Wales when asked about this issue over the last few months, that the Welsh Government has never put forward or supported any proposal to close Neath station or to reduce services running into and out of the town. I should also make clear that neither would we support such a proposal in future – we wish to see Neath station and services from there enhanced, not reduced. When the Secretary of State announced in July last year that he was cancelling the scheme to electrify the railway between Cardiff and Swansea, he said that he had asked Network Rail to develop options for improving journeys for passengers in Wales. Possible schemes to improve journey times between Bristol and Swansea and to improve station facilities in Swansea were specifically mentioned. Transport for Wales has been commissioned to develop Programme Strategic Outline Cases to justify the investment that we are calling on the UK Government to make in our rail network across Wales, including improvements in and around Swansea. The development of the Business Case involves identifying a long list of options for improving journey times by rail for commuters and long-distance travellers in south Wales and we will be working with stakeholders to identify which of these improvements are appropriate for further consideration. These will include exploring how the infrastructure can be enhanced to ensure that the new Inter-City Express Trains performance and capabilities can be used to best effect. For example, because of the capability of the track, the maximum allowable speed of the trains is seldom reached on the journey between London and south Wales, and never in Wales. The focus must be on ensuring that all passengers, including those who use Neath station, can benefit from improvements in connectivity and journey times. It is important that we explore all options and opportunities for improving frequencies and reducing journey times for commuters and long-distance travellers and develop the ones that best meet our objectives so that we can, with the support of our stakeholders, put forward the best possible case to the UK Government for funding much-needed improvements in Neath and the wider region.”

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Petition created on 29 April 2018