- Fri Oct 17, 2025 5:24 pm
#97982
There's also the benefit to Wales from the much faster journeys to Crewe, and on the North Wales coastal line.
But compared with Scotland getting full Barnett consequentials this does sound underwhelming to lots of people in Wales. The reason for that is that rail isn't fully devolved to Wales, unlike Scotland, which meets far more of the costs of rail in Scotland from its own budget. Labour in opposition even said that Wales was due these Barnett consequentials and I can't really blame anyone who took them at their word.
So Wales is basically like a region of England in rail terms, with the Welsh Government having the power to choose its own franchise on the Wales franchise, just like the Merseyside mayor can with Merseyrail. Does it do particularly badly from funding? Not as well as some parts of England, but the South Wales Metro is substantial, and some regions of England would be very happy with that.