**Call for Enhanced Rail Investment in Wales: Professor Mark Barry Lays Out £4bn Proposal for Transport Renewal by 2040**
As the UK Government prepares for its forthcoming comprehensive spending review, attention is turning to the chronic underinvestment in Wales’ rail infrastructure. Professor Mark Barry, a transport expert at Cardiff University, has made a compelling call for a £4 billion investment in Welsh railways by 2040. Prof Barry contends this is not only fair in comparison to improvements planned in England, but essential to unlocking significant economic, environmental, and social benefits for Wales.
With the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, poised to announce the government’s next three-year spending commitments, there is hope among Welsh transport advocates that rail enhancement in Wales will finally be prioritised. Although much debate has previously focused on calls for full rail devolution and the inadequacies of the Barnett formula, Prof Barry’s current advocacy pivots towards a pragmatic, forward-looking strategy that seeks parity with network investment elsewhere in the UK.
According to Prof Barry, approximately £80 billion of rail upgrades are slated for England between now and 2040, including the completion of HS2, the TransPennine Route upgrade, and various new light rail initiatives in cities across the country. Against this backdrop, Prof Barry argues that a £4 billion allocation for Wales would be a proportional and equitable share, especially when set alongside a raft of projects that have already reached advanced stages of planning and business case development.
The rationale for this investment, Prof Barry notes, is not simply a matter of regional fairness. Substantial rail funding promises a host of transformative benefits. These include the potential for greener travel by shifting passenger journeys from car to rail, supporting economic growth and urban regeneration, improving road safety, and reducing congestion and environmental pollution. Enhanced public transport, he insists, is also crucial for improving operational efficiency and tackling the persistent wear and tear on Welsh roads.
Several priority projects have already been identified, reflecting collaborative work by Transport for Wales, the Welsh Government, and local authorities. Leading the list is a proposed £1 billion upgrade of the South Wales Main Line, which would see the addition of new stations at strategic points such as Cardiff East, Maindy and Magor, as well as infrastructure enhancements paving the way for more electrification towards Swansea and Carmarthen. Expanded services connecting Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea and Carmarthen are also under consideration, together with improved links to Cardiff Airport via the Vale of Glamorgan Line.
In the Swansea Bay and west Wales area, £500 million is earmarked for the first phases of a Metro system, featuring new rail routes and stations set to connect Burry Port, Swansea High Street, and the Swansea District Line. This includes new local stops at areas such as Morriston and Llandarcy and ambitious greening and development plans around key locations like Swansea High Street and Llanelli.
To the north, Professor Barry outlines a £1 billion programme for North Wales, recognising the region’s unique transport needs. This would encompass upgrades integrating local rail services with Merseyrail, capacity improvements for freight, electrification, and the modernisation of mainline routes. The long-term vision features tram-train solutions for both north-east and north-west Wales, as well as upgraded stations at key interchanges including Shotton and Chester.
The Cardiff Capital Region also figures prominently, with an initial £500 million recommended for advancing Metro expansion, particularly in Cardiff itself. This includes the completion of the proposed Cardiff Crossrail, increased service frequencies, electrification, new-tram train offerings, and additional local stations to better serve growing residential and commercial communities. Plans also factor in improved access to major destinations such as hospitals and the Valleys.
Further, £500 million has been proposed for the Marches Line, a strategic rail corridor between Cardiff and Manchester. Upgrades here would enable more frequent and reliable services, shorter journey times, and new local routes that lift the burden from long-distance trains while connecting previously underserviced areas.
Prof Barry, while acknowledging the record levels of funding directed at English networks, cautions that anything less than £4 billion for Welsh rail would be unacceptable — both politically and practically. He continues to advocate for full rail devolution to Wales, arguing it is critical to ensure funding is directed to where it will have the greatest impact.
Alongside this major rail investment, he notes, integrated planning with the recently reformed Welsh bus system will be vital. Infrastructure improvements, especially in urban areas, must also support greater bus priority and the creation of new bus lanes to ensure a truly modern, efficient, and accessible public transport network for all parts of Wales.
As Wales awaits the Chancellor’s announcements, the question remains whether these calls for overdue investment will finally be heeded, or whether the long-standing gap between England and Wales in rail provision will persist for another generation.