Plans for more rail services between Wrexham and Liverpool
It will allow the Welsh Labour Government to put forward detailed plans for improvements to the Wrexham-Liverpool line and upgrades to the North Wales mainline.
The announcement provides the funding for the first major component of Network North Wales to be delivered, and for development work to relieve capacity constraints at Chester station.
Last month, Welsh Government Transport Secretary Ken Skates put forward plans for increased train services between Wrexham and Bidston to two trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of four trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035, after rail line works at Padeswood are completed.
This funding will advance these plans.
In addition to numerous improvements in North Wales, the funding will propel forward plans for five new stations in South East Wales. The infrastructure funding will be released over the next ten years.
MOST READ
Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger and MS Lesley Griffiths said: 'Today's news is a win for Wales and a win for Wrexham. Improvements on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool will benefit the local economy and connect communities across both sides of the border.
'Wales was starved of rail funding under the previous Conservative governments and we welcome this long-overdue investment. This is a clear example of two Labour Governments working together for the benefit of the people of Wales.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Chilling 'dangerous moment' warning as UK government call for three things
UK ministers urged for restraint after Israel launched strikes on Tehran early on Friday, targeting the country's nuclear programme, in a significant escalation of hostilities A Labour minister has said the Government is urging for "constraint, restraint and de-escalation" after Israeli strikes targeted Iran's nuclear programme. Industry minister Sarah Jones was grilled in a TV interview this morning as she urged for "calm" at this "dangerous moment" - echoing the Prime Minister's call for "all parties to step back". In a significant escalation of hostilities, Israel launched strikes on Tehran early on Friday, targeting the country's nuclear programme and rekindling fears of a full-scale conflict. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned Israel should expect "severe punishment" in response. Ms Jones said the UK was not involved in the strikes but would not discuss what "information about what we did or didn't know". She also refused to answer a question on whether the strikes were "wrong", only saying that as she is not a Foreign Office minister she would not comment on "things that perhaps the Foreign Secretary may or may not say in due course". Asked about the strikes, Ms Jones told Sky News: "This is a dangerous moment, as the Foreign Secretary has said this morning, and we will be doing all we can, as you would expect to work with our allies to urge for constraint, restraint and for de-escalation in the region." Asked what the UK knew, she said: "We weren't involved in the strikes. Obviously, I can't talk about information about what we did or didn't know. That wouldn't be appropriate." The Labour MP for Croydon West said she was "sure" Foreign Secretary David Lammy would say more in "due course" when asked about the US being due to hold the next negotiations with Iran on a nuclear deal. On Iran's nuclear programme, she added: "I don't think anybody questions how destabilising Iran is being." Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "Stability in the Middle East is vital for global security. I'm concerned to see reports of strikes overnight. Further escalation is a serious threat to peace & stability in the region and in no one's interest. This is a dangerous moment & I urge all parties to show restraint." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday morning that the "operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat". In a clip posted on social media, Mr Netanyahu said that Israel "struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme" and "the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponisation programme". Iranian state television reported that the leader of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami was killed as well as chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, General Mohammad Bagheri.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
South Wales road finally opens after 23 years of roadworks
A South Wales road has officially been opened, 23 years after roadworks first began. The A465 Heads of the Valleys Road has been described by the Welsh government as one of the UK's "most technically challenging" road projects, in an upgrade programme costing £2bn. The final phase of the dual carriageway to be completed was sections 5 and 6, from Dowlais to Hirwaun. The Welsh government says the final phase of the project has created 2,200 new jobs across the country. Transport secretary Ken Skates said that delivering "better transport" was a "priority". He said the project was "complex" and admitted that it had "not been without its challenges". Skates also acknowledged a project on this scale was "inevitably going to have an impact on local residents" and thanked them for their patience. When it was confirmed in January that the Heads of the Valleys Road would be completed this year, Damien Pearce, owner of Valley Carpets in Pant Industrial Estate, told Sky News road closures had "impacted [the business] massively". But he said the shop was now "more visible" and that the completed road would "definitely" benefit the local area. Sam Rowlands, the Welsh government's shadow transport secretary, said there would be "a huge measure of relief" for "long-suffering residents and businesses". "The project has taken far too long, cost far too much, and it's clear that important lessons need to be learned," he added. But finance secretary and former first minister Mark Drakeford said investing in the project had "created real benefits for local people", including £400m for the local supply chain.
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Cornish Ayr Holiday Park owner feels ‘victimised' by government tax changes
ITV News West Country's Grace Pascoe has been speaking to the owner of the holiday park. The owner of a Cornish holiday park says he feels 'victimised' by the current Labour government due to changes in Business Property Relief and Inheritance Tax. Andrew Baragwanath, who owns Ayr Holiday Parksays, says the changes could cost him around 1 million pounds in what he calls a 'tax grab' by the government. The changes have led him to consider holding off on new investment in the business and to not replace employees who leave. He said: 'We have about 30 employees here at the moment, which we keep on all year round. Due to some of the tax changes, I now would look very carefully at replacing any employee that left. "Similarly, I'm looking at whether to replace any caravans. Normally I buy new caravans every year, that may not be possible now. "We've got to look at retaining money in the business or taking out perhaps insurance policies, spending money on legal and accountancy advice, which, frankly, we just see is dead money. "It's all about looking how to protect the business from what we see as a tax grab. I feel victimised by this government. "It's almost as though we're the enemy and they don't want family businesses to thrive. And I know we want to fund the NHS and all the other things government has to do, but they also have to take into account there is an unintended consequence". Andrew still hopes to pass the family run holiday park on to his daughter who is involved in the business but is considering all options. "The impact of the business property relief and inheritance tax changes is quite massive. Potentially it could put a £1 million tax bill on the business. One exit would be to sell the whole business, but quite likely it could be bought by one of the big groups. "I think it's a shame because you then lose out on the personal attention and the detail on the park and the care you get from being family-owned rather than being part of a group". A new report from Family Business UK and CBI Economics reveals that family-owned businesses in the South West are expecting to cut almost 19,000 jobs and reduce investment by more than 16% leading to a drop in economic activity worth almost £1.3bn. Deborah Walker, Director General of the British Holidays and Home Parks Association wants the government to reverse its decision. She said" 'We're urging the government to take another look at the figures. The government thinks that it's going to raise taxes with this inheritance tax. "But the figures show that there actually is actually going to cost the Treasury £130 million and what it's also going to do is force much loved family-run businesses to have to sell up or close down and those are exactly the sort of businesses that are driving rural and coastal economies.' The new rules on Business Property Relief are set to come into effect in April 2026. In response a HM Treasury spokesperson said: 'Our reforms to Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most estates pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on. 'Capping the rate of corporation tax, reforming planning, establishing a National Wealth Fund and creating pension megafunds is part of our Plan for Change to get Britain building, unlock investment and support business so we can raise living standards and make all parts of the country better off'.
