A GLASS HALF FULL...

Now don’t get me wrong, I warmly welcome the news of the 12 priority (out of 46) stations announced today by the Labour in Wales government, which include:

·      Cardiff: Ely Mill/Victoria Park

·      Cardiff: Newport Road/Rover Way

·      Cardiff: St Mellons

·      Newport: Llanwern

·      Swansea: Cockett

·      Swansea: Landore

·      St Clears

·      Deeside Industrial Park/Northerm Gateway

·      North Wrecsam

·      South Wrecsam

·      Llangefni

·      Bow Street

It’s certainly a step in the right direction, if one that is somewhat limited by a combination of a lack of ambition and the fact that the Conservative Westminster government consciously chose not to devolve any control of Network Rail in Wales to the National Assembly.  This failure by Westminster to standing up or to even represent our national interests by giving us here in Wales the tools to do the job to improve our poor public transport system is nothing new.

While you would not have expected the Conservative Liberal Democrat government to strengthen devolution or protect Welsh interests because it was probably too busy privatizing everything that was not tied down. It is also worth remembering that the Party formerly known as New Labour also did not devolve control of that portion of Network rail to Cardiff when it controlled Westminster with a significant majority.

It is also worth remembering that the extension of the electrification of part of the Great Western line to Cardiff (originally it was Swansea) is only taking place because of the hard graft put in by Ieuan Wyn Jones, then Deputy First Minister in the Plaid driven One Wales Government.  Originally it had been suggested that the electrification work on the Great Western would stop at Bristol and Wales would be left out of this plan entirely.

A glass half full is better than an empty glass, but, more locally there is significant room for improvement, and many local residents would welcome a public commitment to new railway stations at Magor, Caerleon / Ponthir and significant improvements to services and facilities at Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Pontypool, and Severn tunnel Junction – including safe, secure, reasonably priced (if not free) parking. Not to mention a public commitment to actually reopening the Ebbw vale rail link to Newport.

THE AFTERNOON AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE...

On the stump in 2010 

Well there we are then, the voters have spoken those who turned out to vote that is. It’s now the early afternoon after the night before and I am still awake after some three and bit hours of sleep. It was has a long day and night (27.5 hours of wakefulness). Perhaps it's time to get civilised and count the votes the following morning rather than on the night - we managed to do this in 1999 and life as we know it did not come to an end. 

Firstly a massive thank you to my agent and my campaign team and the electors of Monmouth / Mynwy for their support. Elections are not just about the voters and the candidates, a whole host of people work very hard behind the scenes to make things work smoothly, including the Retuning Officers, their staff, the council staff who man the polling booths and count the votes and the other council staff and our Police who work tirelessly to make the count function flawlessly.  

It has been as always, an interesting campaign, sadly overshadowed by the illness and passing of my already much missed father. As always the election campaign has given me the opportunity to talk to, to listen to and to meet with many and varied constituents during the course of my prolonged walking tour of (in my opinion) one of the more beautiful, interesting and varied of constituencies in Wales.

Transition towns hustings back in 2015

Now that the sound and the fury have faded, and the hustings blended into one former candidates can take stock. This is no glory in this, any dreams of political immortality should be doused with cold realism - a couple of election campaigns ago - having been featured on the front page of a local newspaper in relation to the campaign to Keep Abergavenny Livestock Market I had the surreal experience of going to buy some chips in a local chip shop with a friend only to find myself literally being wrapped around them (Sic transit gloria mundi - or "Thus passes the glory of the world”.

In Monmouth constituency and across the rest of Wales for former candidates and the successfully elected life can return to a form of normality. For the next few days catching up on sleep will be a priority, that and resisting the strange desire to knock on the doors of perfect strangers and push leaflets through complete strangers letter boxes. 

Across Wales we now have to work with the new Plaid National Assembly members, and prepare the ground for future campaigns and future elections. The National Assembly is now an established fact, it is not going to go away, it needs a fully balanced portfolio of powers to shape our economy and sustainably develop our country and must become a proper parliament. 

Addressing a KALM rally back in 2009 - the revolutionary's leather overcoat did not survive the campaign.

I have fought Monmouth constituency five / six times - three for Westminster, twice for the National Assembly constituency and once on the list and it has been interesting and challenging every single time. 

Frozen at Severn Tunnel Junction back in 2010A.

All in all since 2005 it has been interesting and enjoyable with hustings, canvassing, leafleting and even the doorstepping of prospective voters on freezing mornings at various railway stations. That said, I have  reached the stage when I can recognise when the adrenaline is running out, and the point where coffee is no longer required or having any effect and the sleep of a seriously tired former National Assembly prospective candidate is more than beckoning. 

I wonder how Newport County AFC and the Dragons will do in Satiurday...

A WAKE UP CALL?

The announcement that there will be lane closures on the old Severn Bridge until the autumn should be a wake up call to the bridges long-term future. The old Severn Bridge opened in 1966 and is nearly 50 years old - it won't be around forever. At this moment in time I cannot envisage any Westminster government or even a government in Cardiff Bay agreeing or funding a replacement bridge. The closure of the old Severn Bridge will directly impact on commuters and businesses in south east Monmouthshire, the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean and south west Gloucestershire who use the old bridge to travel to and from work and to trade. 

If there is not be another Severn Crossing to replace the original Severn Crossing then we will be back to having only one Severn crossing. Changes will then need to made to the existing M48 / M4 including an M48 junction for Caldicot and a direct feed into the eastbound M4 this side of the current Second Severn crossing. This would replace the current arrangement whereby current users of the M48 have to use the existing Magor M4 junction to join the M4 eastbound to cross the second Severn Bridge and the same junction to gain return access to the M48. 

A possible solution to this potential transport bottleneck may be the construction of a joint road and rail bridge across the Severn, near Lydney. This bridge could provide a partial solution to the chronic traffic congestion in Chepstow and also provide a much-needed shorter more direct rail route to the east as well as dealing with as yet unaddressed problem of the ageing Severn Tunnel.  This solution is wholly in England it would provide a more accessible route to Bristol and the M5/M4 to commuters and businesses based in south east Wales - it would also in my opinion stand a much better chance of being funded by an increasing Anglo-centric Westminster parliament.

Westminster needs not just to come clean on both the future of the Severn Bridge tolls, which are a tax on commuters, business and jobs. Plaid Cymru is committed to cutting the bridge tolls initially to £2 pounds. Westminster also needs to entirely open up about the medium to long-term future of the old Severn Bridge and any replacement bridge. I have long stated that the National Assembly should have control of the Severn Bridges, it should also be directly involved in any discussions about the future of the old Severn Bridge as well, as the record shows that successive Westminster governments have consistently failed to protect our interests.

GIVING GOVERNMENT A NUDGE!

The grim reality is that by the time we get to Polling Day (in May) we will be 40% through the planned Con Dem Coalition Governments austerity programme of public sector cuts, which means that we have another 60% of cuts to follow. Austerity hits in so many people in so many different ways, yet almost unnoticed it has also changed what ‘Government’ at various levels actually offers to do for us. 

The future trend is for Government at all levels to simply be there and to provide nothing or at least next to nothing for this costs the least if it can get away with it. The big society has quietly been ditched (along with the photo opps with the huskies) and despite the spin the new bottom line, particularly when you have ineffective and inert Government, is focused intense campaigning to get things done. 

If we want to get something done that government won’t provide then we will have to fight for it like we have never fought before. If we want regeneration, decent facilities in our towns and communities or want to reopen an old railway station then we have to make Government act on our behalf, whether it wants to or not.

Small-scale local transport projects and well-organised local campaigns may provide the best opportunity to make a real difference when it comes to reopening or improving the services of our railway stations. There are plenty of good examples of successful campaigning groups to follow; including the Carno Station Action Group, the Severn Tunnel Action Group have campaigned to restore rail services and improvements in the passenger infrastructure, Better Trains 4 Chepstow who are campaigning amongst other things for more stopping services at Chepstow, and the campaign for a railway station at Magor.

Locally our rail network remains unconnected in so many ways, with the tantalising possibilities of small changes delivering big wins. The final stage of the rail-link from Ebbw Vale to Newport needs to be completed and railway stations at Caerleon and Magor would help to reduce road congestion and enable commuters to get to work in Cardiff, Bristol and other nearby destinations.

Such developments would provide a regular rail service to local residents and reduce the ever-increasing traffic burden from already overcrowded roads. The re-opening of Pontrilas Railway station (in south Herefordshire) for passenger traffic (and timber shipments) would also help, as would a feasibility study into developing regional rail freight services, removing heavy Lorries from local roads.

We should nudge our government to commission feasibility studies into the development of a Parkway Station at Little Mill and the possibilities of re-opening the old line from Little Mill to Usk and the development of a new railway station at Usk. We need Abergavenny and Chepstow railway stations to be real gateway stations; with integrated local bus services and the provision of more and cheaper safe secure parking. We still need better facilities at Severn Tunnel Junction and Caldicot railway stations and the provision of adequate safe secure parking facilities.

A 0.5 FROM THE EAST GERMAN JUDGE...

The Westminster governments commitment to the electrification of the Great Western mainline through to Swansea (along with the electrification of the valley lines) may represent one of the largest commitment of resources to Wales for a specific project by a Westminster government in most people in Wales’s lifetimes. While this is significant it’s a job that upon completion will be at best partially completed because of a failure to commit to the electrification of the Severn Tunnel diversionary route from Kemble, in Gloucestershire to Swindon and through Lydney to connect with the mainline at Severn Tunnel Junction via Chepstow. 

As regular rail users will know the regular closure of the Severn Tunnel for maintenance tends to be an issue when it comes to weekend travel. Historically the diversion added an hour to and from weekend journeys to Paddington – the line was only single track. This section was finally upgraded to double track (completed in August 2014) is the only diversionary rail route between South Wales and London so the next step should be to electrify the diversionary route in parallel to the planned electrification of the Great Western mainline to Swansea.

In the event of a major accident or incident in the tunnel, perhaps a crash, a fire or even flooding, we need a fully operational alternative so that passenger and freight services to London are not affected. Talk to anyone who works the rails (or anyone who has relatives who work on the rails) in the south and they will tell you that the ageing Severn Tunnel is going to require more and more maintenance as time passes, it remains a vital transport link, but it ranks pretty low on Network Rails or Westminster’s list of priorities. 

This is a vital rail link between Wales and London (and Europe) and the only alternative to using the Severn Tunnel. We need some original thinking to solve this potential block on our rail links; the construction of a railway bridge / tidal fence close to the Second Severn Crossing should be seriously considered as part of any plans to harness the enormous renewable energy potential of the Severn Estuary. This could carry the main rail link from South Wales, solving the problem of the Severn Tunnel, enhance rail services from Severn Tunnel Station and generate sustainable energy, which we will need in the very near future.

SMALL RAIL SUCCESSES WIN BIG

Many of our existing railway stations suffer from some pretty significant gaps in services, so are underused. The future trend is merely for Government at all levels to simply be there and to provide nothing or at least next to nothing for this costs the least. The new bottom line, being when you have ineffective and inert Government, is that if we want a civic society or want to reopen an old railway station then we have to make Government act on our behalf, whether it wants to or not.

Small scale local transport projects and well organised local campaigns may provide the best opportunity to make a real difference when it comes to reopening or improving the services of our railway stations. There are a number of good examples to follow; including the Carno Station Action Group, the Severn Tunnel Action Group who have campaigned to restore rail services and improvements in the passenger infrastructure, Better Trains 4 Chepstow who are campaigning amongst other things for more stopping services at Chepstow, and the campaign for a railway station at Magor.

Driver Training on Gaer Spur in 2009 (Photo: Ian Brewer)

The final stage of the rail-link from Ebbw Vale to Newport needs to be completed and railway stations at Caerleon and Magor would help to reduce road congestion. Such developments would provide a regular rail service to local residents and reduce the ever increasing traffic burden from already overcrowded roads. The re-opening of Pontrilas Railway station (in south Herefordshire) for passenger traffic (and timber shipments) would also help, as would a feasibility study into developing regional rail freight services, removing heavy Lorries from local roads.

In the south east, we need Abergavenny and Chepstow railway stations to be real gateway stations, with fully integrated local bus services and more safe secure parking. We need better facilities at Severn Tunnel Junction and Caldicot railway stations and the provision of adequate safe secure parking facilities. We need feasibility studies into the development of a Parkway Station at Little Mill and the possibilities of re-opening the old line from Little Mill to Usk and the development of a new railway station at Usk.