Prime Minister Announces Long-Term Commitments for Welsh Rail

The Prime Minister has announced his endorsement of new plans to modernise Welsh rail with with a long-term commitment to expand and improve infrastructure across the country.

Formally endorsing the Transport for Wales vision for the future of Welsh rail; the Prime Minister has agreed that a framework for the pipeline of projects must be put into place.

The plans, which are set to support 12,000 jobs across Wales, will build on the Welsh Government’s 1.1 billion GBP funding to upgrade and electrify the Core Valley Lines, as well as an 800 million GBP investment in a new rail fleet.

As a result of this new commitment, seven new railway stations will be built across Wales:

• Magor and Undy
• Llanwern
• Cardiff East
• Newport West
• Somerton
• Cardiff Parkway
• Deeside industrial park

Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:

For too long, Wales has been let down by a UK government unwilling to do the hard yards and build the future they deserve.

This government is turning the page on historic dither and delay with seven new stations, thousands of jobs, and a generational commitment to build a rail network fit for Wales’ future.

This isn’t tinkering nor sticking plasters. This is investment for the long term - and change communities will feel. This is putting Wales on the front foot and getting Britain building again.

Work on the new stations will begin later this year, with Magor and Undy expected to be the first of these stations to be completed. A new station at Cardiff Parkway will aim to provide services for an estimated 800,000 passengers per year – potentially unlocking 6,000 jobs in the industrial district as a result.

Further plans include a new station in the Deeside industrial park in North Wales – which also forms part of plans to boost the Wrexham-Liverpool line to better connect the UK as a whole.

First Minister, Eluned Morgan, said:

We are now in an unprecedented position to deliver the next chapter of transformation for rail services in Wales. We have secured long-term commitments to key projects and a renewed ambition for our rail network.

Changes of this scale don’t happen overnight but they do happen when there is vision, determination, and cooperation. We’ve already proved that with the Core Valley Lines, and we are beginning to see the same momentum with Network North Wales. When you have the ambition, the commitment and the will, real progress follows - and we have all three.

Today marks another important milestone for rail as Transport for Wales publishes an exciting and essential pipeline for future investment. This includes projects the length and breadth of our nation. We warmly welcome the UK Government’s support for these plans and for their commitment to putting right the injustice of Welsh rail underfunding left by the previous government.

In the near term, I’m pleased to see backing for the essential work at Padeswood and Buckley. This will transform journeys between Wrexham and Liverpool, unlock economic opportunities across north Wales, and allow plans for the new Deeside station to accelerate. I also welcome the UK Government’s support for Cardiff Parkway, and we remain committed to working closely with all partners to complete the full business case and development plans.

The Wales Rail Board recently completed development on its long-term vision for rail enhancement in Wales, with all plans now available to view in Transport for Wales’ new document entitled ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together: A Vision for Wales across Wales and Borders’.

Formed by members including parties from both Welsh and UK Governments, TfW and Network Rail; the Wales Rail Board is an intergovernmental board that will oversee the delivery of this pipeline of projects.

The Prime Minister’s announcement has officially endorsed this new vision, stating agreement that it will form the core basis of the Wales Rail Board’s pipeline of projects. The UK Government will henceforth work closely with the Welsh Government to ensure all projects are delivered as quickly as possible.

In total, the cost of the pipeline of projects, whilst they may change over time in tandem with industry trends, have been estimated at roughly 14 billion GBP. The programme will create more than 1,000 permanent new jobs, and more than 6,000 during construction.

Proposed long-term benefits of delivery of the 43 schemes include:

• 6.3 billion GBP in wider economic benefits
• Up to 13.3 million new rail journeys each year
• 3.8 million fewer car journeys – a reduction of 115 million vehicle kilometres each year
• 55,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided each year
• Current UK Government Rail Investment

In 2025, the Government Spending Review allocated at least 445 million GBP to rail enhancements in Wales; 302 million GBP for infrastructure upgrades during this SR period, 95 million GBP for further development and 48 million GBP for the Welsh Government for enhancements on the Core Valley Lines during this SR period.

Of this funding; 90 million GBP will be used to facilitate future new train services at a set of proposed new stations:  Magor and Undy; Llanwern; Cardiff East; Newport West; and Somerton, all of which are expected to be under construction by 2029.

The UK Goverment has also allocated a minimum of 40 million GBP to increase the line speed of the Relief Lines which run adjacent to the Main lines between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction, creating 2 additional high-speed lines that aim to offer more flexibility for both freight and passenger services, improve performance, and create the capacity for train service growth.

A Full Business Case is due in Spring 2026, with work set to be aligned with proposed new stations and services in South East Wales.

Another new railway station, Cardiff Parkway, has been proposed for situation within the Hendre Lakes development near St Mellons, Cardiff. The development will form part of a wider regeneration plan which combines the new station and a large business park.

The new station will aim to cut journey times to Cardiff and Newport, aid connections to other areas of Wales and the UK and ease congestion from Cardiff Central, which will also receive 138.8 million GBP worth of upgrades, with funding coming from the UK Government (77.8 million GBP), Cardiff Capital Region City Deal (40 million GBP) and the Welsh Government (21 million GBP).

Work on Cardiff Central improvements will commence in Spring 2026, and is expected to be complete by 2029.

Finally, new investments will be made in order to increase overall service frequencies in the Cardiff area, as well as on the line between Wrexham – Liverpool. Over the course of the next three years; the UK Government will investing up to 30 million GBP on infrastructure enhancements to increase the capacity of a key junction to the west of Cardiff station, which will enable an increase in services on the Core Valley Lines network.

This enhancement is set to be delivered as part of a renewal which is planned to take place to the junction in 2028, providing significant efficiency.

Currently, infrastructure near Padeswood Cement Works is reducing capacity, which also led to Network Rail declaring the line as congested infrastructure in 2023.  The line in question (Wrexham – Liverpool) will see upgrades around this area that will enable the running of an additional two trains per hour.