By Andrew Pring | 29 August 2014
Plans for the next stage of the Cardiff Capital Region Metro, which aims to create an integrated public transport system for south east Wales by 2030, have been set out by Welsh transport minister Edwina Hart.
Preliminary construction work on the £4bn project has been underway since last year, and will now be stepped up by handing new powers to the Cardiff Capital Regional Board. The board will be responsible for ensuring the project is part of the region’s broader approach to economic development.
The Welsh Government also announced that over the next nine months it will work with transport providers across the region to introduce smart ticketing, as well as review local bus networks in a bid to increase passenger numbers.
Setting out the next steps, Hart said: ‘The metro is an ambitious long-term project with some radical ideas, so we need to look at how we can test out some of those ideas while also delivering improvements on the ground now.
‘The metro is more than just a transport project: it will be the catalyst for transforming the economic and social prospects of the region and Wales.’
Roger Lewis, the chair of Cardiff Capital Region Board said that progress was being made in developing plans for the next stage of the metro.
‘From the outset, the Cardiff Capital Region Board has identified the metro’s importance as a transformative project which, with improved transport connectivity at its core, is seen as integral to achieving wider economic and social outcomes for south east Wales,’ he said.
‘We are determined as a board to maintain momentum and are keen to progress the strategic vision for the metro as part of a wider approach to economic development in the region.’
The metro project has been allocated £62m, both for the planning work and to deliver other improvements to public transport in the region, which include upgrades to rail infrastructure and stations, as well new park and ride schemes.
It is estimated that these improvements will contribute an additional £4bn to the regional economy and support the creation of around 7,000 jobs.
