It is a pleasure once again to serve under your chairship, Mrs Cummins, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Christina Rees) on introducing this important debate on Welsh rail infrastructure. She is indeed passionate about rail as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for rail in Wales, and I have seen that passion for myself thanks to her active participation in and support for the all-party parliamentary group on the western rail link to Heathrow—a long overdue project that would benefit the good people of Wales as well as people in my Slough constituency and beyond.
As we witnessed the last time we debated this very issue in detail in Westminster Hall, there are strong feelings on both sides of the House, although one could not detect such feelings today owing to the fact that not one Welsh Conservative Member has come to speak in the debate. Connecting Wales within and across its borders is a matter of great importance not just for the people of Wales, but for those who visit, work and enjoy all that that great country has to offer, as my wife and I had the pleasure of doing when we went to Snowdonia in north Wales.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden) eloquently explained, it is vital that rail infrastructure in Wales does not fall behind owing
to underfunding and lack of attention, as is currently the case under the Conservative UK Government, particularly at a time when we need to be building up our rail capacity and ensuring that we have the greenest, most accessible and most affordable network possible.
The latest numbers indicate that passenger journeys in Wales hit 17.7 million last year, with more than 60% of those journeys occurring within Wales. However, that is a 41% decrease in passenger numbers compared with 2019-20. Ensuring that passenger numbers increase and that more people in Wales can easily travel by rail have only increased in importance post-covid, but with failing infrastructure impacting services, passengers will be increasingly likely to choose more convenient but more polluting alternatives. We must halt the backwards slide caused by the pandemic and ensure that the best possible infrastructure is in place and delivering for Welsh passengers.
The previous Labour Government ensured that there was devolution in many forms and ensured that the Welsh Government could have greater control, and the 2021 Welsh Affairs Committee report, “Railway Infrastructure in Wales”, with which the Minister is no doubt familiar, outlined clearly the connection between enhanced rail infrastructure, integrated public transport, decarbonisation and, ultimately, improved quality of life. That is clearly something that we all stand behind today. Improved rail infrastructure has the power to transform. However, poor passenger experience, due to failing infrastructure, will undoubtedly drive down passenger numbers, and all the hard work put into the network by the Welsh Labour Government will unfortunately prove futile.
As my hon. Friends the Members for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) and for Newport East both noted, the Welsh Government, along with Transport for Wales, are fulfilling their part of the deal. They have come to agreement with the unions on industrial disputes, avoiding strikes; they launched a new fleet of trains earlier this year; and they will be ensuring the roll-out of smart ticketing on the Wales and Borders network. I witnessed that recently on a trip towards Chester, when I discussed cross-border enhancements. They have even made a commitment to ensuring that overhead lines on the core valley lines will be powered by 100% renewable energy, with at least 50% of the energy from Wales.