Ambitious plans to transform public transport in North Wales will help people like a young woman who faces a nightmare four hour daily commute to work
That’s the vow from Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, ahead of a meeting with business leaders in Wrexham.
Mr Skates, who is also the Senedd member for Clwyd South, will be outlining details of the Network North Wales proposals at a breakfast meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals at the city’s Maesgwyn Hall on Friday, June 27.
According to Mr Skates far too many young people are being “cut out of the jobs market” because they can’t access reliable transport to the workplace.
He said the Welsh Government’s vision for an integrated, high-frequency transport system will drive economic growth in the region and provide key bus services to centres of employment.
The problem was flagged up at a Wrexham Business Professionals meeting in July last year.
Rachel Clacher, co-founder of Moneypenny, the UK’s leading provider of telephone and web-based communications for businesses, told that meeting that she had come across numerous examples of public transport failing to meet the needs of employers and employees.
She highlighted the plight of a young Gwersyllt woman who spent four hours travelling the eight miles to and from her work at Wrexham Industrial Estate each day because bus services were infrequent and were badly linked.
Mr Skates said: “Network North Wales is going to address that very concern.
“There are still a huge number of job offers that are being rejected by young people, by people of all ages in fact, because they can’t get public transport to and from their workplace.
“There are far too many businesses that still tell me that bus services are few and far between.
“So, there are going to be a number of major interventions that form part of Network North Wales.
“We are going to be introducing new legislation to regulate the bus network, so we will be redesigning the bus network to help people in and out of work.
“We are going to be utilising the status of Flintshire and Wrexham as an Investment Zone to roll out a really ambitious new bus network which will better link communities with centres of employment like Wrexham Industrial Estate and Deeside Industrial Park.
“We’ve worked very closely with Transport for Wales, Flintshire Council and Wrexham Council, to develop this bespoke bus network for the Investment Zone which will better connect people with centres of employment.”
Mr Skates said he wanted to get to a point where public transport, or the lack of it, didn’t prevent anybody from securing, and keeping, a job.
He said: “Public transport isn’t just about moving people from A to B, it’s about generating growth, it’s about dealing with economic inactivity and economic inequality.
“Public transport, in my view, is the third public service and so it must meet the requirements of all people.
“So, through Network North Wales we will be better connecting people with employment – that’s the primary purpose of creating a 21st century metro-type, transport service across this region.
“We’re going to see pretty immediate movement on it as well.
“We’re going to see a 50 per cent increase in rail services across North Wales from next May, we’re going to see a doubling of rail services between Wrexham and Chester from next May.
“Work will be commencing on the Wrexham to Liverpool line to eventually make that a direct service into Liverpool with metro-type services providing four trains an hour, that’s the ambition in the next 10 years.
“There’s going to be a huge amount of movement over the coming months.
“People will see re-wrapped trains between Wrexham and Bidston, reflecting the communities those services serve.
“There will be an increased frequency on rail routes.
“We’re going to be upgrading the stations, and of course, as I’ve said, we going to be rolling out that employment bus network which is going to be vital.
“From September we are going to be rolling out a young people’s bus deal which means that 16 to 21-year-olds won’t have to pay more than £1 for a bus journey in Wales.
Mr Skates commended the work of the Wrexham Business Professionals organisation, a group made up of successful businesses and skilled professionals working together to promote regional prosperity and shine a light on the enterprise and expertise that exists in the region.
He said: “There is something really magical happening in Wrexham at the moment, but the Wrexham Business Professionals have been solid supporters of the community for many years.”
Ian Edwards, a leading member of the group, welcomed the news and said a redesign of the city’s public transport set-up was badly needed to help employers and employees.
He said: “We’ve all heard the stories of people not being able to get to Wrexham Industrial Estate and things needs to change.
“For the public transport system to work and to serve the industrial estate properly, it can’t just be one bus an hour, that won’t work for anybody.
“The bus services need to be frequent, reliable and comfortable.
Louise Harper, from Wrexham Business Professionals, said: “The meeting on June 27 will give a useful insight into the benefits the Network North Wales programme will deliver for businesses and their workers.
“We would encourage business leaders to come along to find out more about this exciting transport project.”
Other guest speakers at the meeting at Wrexham’s Maesgwyn Hall, starting at 8.30am on Friday, June 27, include Laura Hall, managing director of Holt-based Maverick Diagnostics, and Amanda Davies from Wrexham Council, who is leading Wrexham’s bid to be named UK City of Culture 2029.
