New railway connections for Wales

www.monbiot.com

There are plenty of lobbyists calling for new roads, but Father Deiniol’s plan is likely to be cheaper and more sustainable. His survey of the disused railway lines of Wales shows that there is one route - from Rhyl through Denbigh, Rhuthun, Corwen, Newtown, Llanidloes, Rhaeadr and Builth Road to Dowlais - which would require only two miles of new formation to link Holyhead to Cardiff(2). The rest of the way makes use of current and former railways. He proposes that short feeder lines also be built connecting this trunk route to Mold, Llangollen, Oswestry, Bala, Hay-on-Wye and Brecon(3).

The One-Wales Line could not only offer a much faster journey than the current long detour through England, it would also knit the other railways of Wales into a coherent network, as it uses the north coast railway and crosses the Cambrian line and the Shrewsbury to Swansea line. It would help to regenerate a desperately poor region in the south called the Heads of the Valleys. The project would look rather like the Western Railway Corridor in Ireland, which is reopening 184km of disused lines between Limerick and Sligo(4).

The least the Welsh Assembly Government should do is to commission a feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis of Father Deiniol’s plan. His railway would help Wales looks like a country again, rather than a depot for someone else’s empire.


References:

1. Eduardo Galeano, 1971. Originally published as Las Venas Abiertas de América Latina. Siglo XXI Editores.

2. Tad Deiniol, 3rd February 2008. Proposal for a Direct, All-Wales, Holyhead to Cardiff Fast Rail Link. Yn Ein Blaenau. If you would like a copy of this document, I can send it to you.

3. Tad Deiniol, 2008. Map of Proposed North South Rail Link and Feeder Lines. Yn Ein Blaenau. If you would like a copy of this document, I can send it to you.

4. See http://www.westontrack.com/

Monbiot's interview with CPRE

In today's Guardian comments on George Monbiot's Interview with CPRE's head re wind farms and Open cast mining. Here

Cardiff International Airport (Welsh: Maes Awyr Rhyngwladol Caerdydd) (IATA: CWL, ICAO: EGFF) is the main airport for Wales serving around 2 million people in Cardiff and the rest of South and West Wales.

It is located in the village of Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, approximately 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Cardiff, the country's largest city and capital.

Future ....Road access to the airport by way of the A48 trunk road was the subject of a public inquiry in 2006 but this is now superseded by needs of the forthcoming Defence Training Academy at RAF St Athan, the bid for which included plans for a direct St Athan and airport link to the M4 motorway. Really?
John Smith MP keen to get road built to airport - for more information
Campaign website http://www.bigfootcreative.co.uk/nevar/main/news.html

Airport road plan divides opinions Dec 5 2008 by Peter Collins, South Wales Echo

BATTLE lines have been drawn in an increasingly fierce debate on whether a multi-million pound access road to Cardiff International Airport should be built through the Vale of Glamorgan countryside.

The Welsh Assembly Government is expected to announce its preferred route early next year following extensive public consultation which has highlighted starkly differing opinions about the need for such a road and the environmental damage it could cause.

The Vale of Glamorgan-based Plaid AM, Chris Franks, today rejected all three alternative routes put forward by the Welsh Assembly Government, while Vale Labour MP John Smith called for an urgent start to work on the link.

Meanwhile, an action group opposed to what is regarded by many as the most likely option has criticised “deficiencies” in the study into the options and the public consultation on them.

Two of the three options centre on the A4232 from Junction 33 of the M4, while the third promotes a new road link south of J34 of the M4 with an eastern or western bypass at Pendoylan before linking with the A48 at Sycamore Cross.

Mr Franks said all three options should be dropped.

He said: “These options do not stack up economically, environmentally or financially.

“Pumping more than £100m into a scheme would have little benefit for the economy of Barry while causing a huge intrusion as a road is driven through countryside.

“If a scheme is being developed to tie in with the proposed Metrix defence academy scheme at St Athan, then I believe the money would be better put into improving both rail and bus services rather than building a road that is not needed.”

However, Mr Smith called on the Welsh Assembly Government to use some of the £140m provided by the Treasury to build the access road as soon as possible.

Mr Smith said: “The existing airport access road is a brake on the airport’s future growth. If Cardiff International Airport is to continue to be one of the fastest growing airports in the UK and to cope with the extra road traffic generated by the Defence Technical Academy and Aerospace Business Park in St Athan which are on the airport’s doorstep, the road system must be improved.

“I believe the road building will help stimulate the Welsh economy because it will create jobs for local people during the construction phase and inject money into the local economy as workers spend their money locally in our shops and businesses.”

Meanwhile, the NEVAR group (No Ely Valley Airport Road) has petitioned the Welsh Assembly Government on its handling of the consultation into the proposals.

The petition says: “We call upon the Welsh Assembly Government to consider the serious deficiencies in its study and public consultation exercise before making any decision as to road improvements or developments, other than those to reduce congestion at Culverhouse Cross.”