Rosemary Butler has been assured by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones that the cost of the current bus link between Newport Station and the Cardiff /Ebbw Vale railway line at Rogerstone will be looked at urgently.

Recent figures show that the new train service between Cardif and Ebbw Vale has already attracted over 100,000 passengers, but the bus link to Newport is used by very few people.

At question time in the Assembly this afternoon she asked Transport Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones why it was costing the Assembly £225,000 a year to take passengers between Rogerstone and Newport, while the planned rail link was being completed.

Rosemary Butler:

"I have no doubt that, if the rail link to Newport opened, the line would have far more people using it, because the people of the western Valley in Gwent need the opportunity to take advantage of the thousands of quality jobs, as well as the new shopping opportunities, available in Newport through the regeneration programme.

"There has been justified criticism in the local press of the cost of the bus link from Rogerstone to Newport—it is around £225,000 per year. It is obvious that the route that the bus takes needs to be reviewed, but were the rail link extended to Newport, then this costly bus link would not be necessary.

"It is essential that the rail link to Newport is opened at the earliest possible opportunity, so I ask you to continue to work—or, as David Melding eloquently said, put 'a bit of zip' into it—and ensure that the rail link is opened early next year."

The Deputy First Minister:

"What I can do is repeat that the service cannot start before 2009-10, because that is when Network Rail completes the first stage of the resignalling of the main line.

"There has been no u-turn whatsoever in terms of the Assembly Government's desire to see service provision between Ebbw Vale and Newport, and when all the reports are in place, and all the infrastructure work has been done, then we will be in a position to make a further statement.

"I very much share Rosemary's concerns about the bus link, and its cost relative to its usage. I have asked my officials to urgently review that service with Newport City Council, because it is not currently delivering value for money, and I am not prepared to allow that to continue much longer."

Wednesday, April 9 2008