CALLS have been made to improve the “woefully inadequate” cross-border rail service during the Welsh Grand Committee last Wednesday (7th February).

Last week in the House of Commons chamber, Labour Newport East MP Jessica Morden highlighted ‘chronic overcrowding’ on commuter services between Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol in the face of further fares increases.

In a question to Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, Jessica Morden said: “If the Secretary of State is serious about improving cross-border connectivity between parts of my constituency and Bristol and beyond, will he get the Department for Transport to improve the cross-border services which take my constituents to work in Bristol and further afield, as they are woefully inadequate.”

The Welsh Secretary responded by saying that he ‘wanted to see the best possible connections between Cardiff, Newport and Bristol’ ahead of the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls, and paid tribute to Jessica Morden for her campaigning on the issue over the years.

The UK Government has launched a consultation on the future of the Great Western Franchise and held two consultation events yesterday (13rd February).

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “Our railways provide vital links for rural communities, businesses and visitors across south Wales. It makes perfect sense that those that use the services every day should have their say in improving these services.”

The UK Government has decided to extend the franchise for the current operator Great Western Railway (GWR) until March 2020 to make sure passengers get the best possible service while current route upgrades are carried out.

“The UK Government is investing in the biggest modernisation of the railways for over a century,” Mr Cairns added. “Working with GWR, we are bringing the very latest in rail technology to some of the world’s oldest lines, putting passengers first so that they benefit from a transformational programme of upgrades as quickly as possible.

“The benefits of these improvements will be felt right across the franchise area. But as the franchise continues to grow into the 2020s, we want to ensure every line, station and passenger remains central to the train operator’s strategy. This consultation asks passengers how they want their railway to look into the 2020s and beyond and how it will best deliver for them.”

The comments come alongside uncertainty surrounding the Welsh Borders franchise, which is to expire in October this year.

Last year current operator Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) pulled out of the contest to continue running it, with three remaining bidders: Abellio, KeolisAmey and MTR.

However Dutch-owned transport giant Abellio’s bid was left in jeopardy last month with the collapse of construction firm Carillion, which was the bid’s infrastructure partner.

The companies will bid to run the franchise from this October and build the South Wales Metro.

The successful bidder will run the new franchise for 15 years, and will have responsibility for the incoming South Wales Metro system alongside Welsh Government.

The franchise agreement, which began in 2003, required ATW to invest £400,000 over the 15-year period. Despite this limited obligation, ATW has said that it has invested £30m in the franchise. In relation to its management of the Wales and Borders franchise, the previous Welsh Government has said that it spends around £170 million per year. This includes funding additional rail services over and above those in the original franchise agreement, such as extra services to Fishguard and between Cardiff and Holyhead.

Arriva Trains Wales’ total income from the Wales and Borders franchise, in 2014-15, was £258m. Of the £258m, £119m was passenger income, £93m was franchise receipts from Government and £46m was classed as ‘other’ income.

By 1st January 2020 rolling stock in the UK will need to comply with new rules on disability access. As of 2013, 73 per cent of the Wales and Border rolling stock would not reach the required standard.

There are several options to secure better rolling stock, including purchasing new or refurbished stock, upgrading current stock, or leasing stock from private companies.

An announcement on the future of the franchise will be made in the coming months.