Doubts over £1bn plan to electrify north Wales mainline

Rishi Sunak was speaking earlier at the Welsh Conservatives manifesto launch

There are doubts over the £1bn plan to electrify the north Wales mainline because it has not had funding agreed or an official go ahead from the UK government.

The scheme forms a central part of the Welsh Conservative general election manifesto.

Network Rail has told a Senedd member that no formal development or feasibility work on the idea has been requested from the organisation since 2013.

When questioned, the prime minister told the audience at Friday's launch that electrification "would happen".

But a railway industry source has told BBC Wales that the project "isn’t going anywhere" because Network Rail has not had a remit letter from the Department for Transport.

In October, it was announced that parts of the high-speed rail line would be cancelled due to spiralling costs

Plans for electrification were first announced last October by Rishi Sunak, with a "cast-iron" guarantee from one of his ministers.

The funding is to come from the cancellation of HS2 high speed rail between Birmingham and Manchester.

But National Rail has not had what is known as a remit letter from the Department for Transport.

The letter gives the green light that funding is available and that the project can proceed further.

Rail infrastructure is not devolved so is the responsibility of the UK not Welsh government.

BBC Wales has also seen a copy of a letter from Network Rail to Alun Davies, the Labour Senedd member for Blaenau Gwent.

In it, Regional Managing Director Rob Cairns said: "Apart from a high level business case appraisal carried out in 2013, no formal development or feasibility work has been requested to be carried out on North Wales Coast electrification.

"Following the Network North announcement in October, we have no received any funding nor been formally remitted to carry out any development work".

However he did say Network Rail had begun to "explore" its early thinking, produced a "well-received position paper which outlined our thoughts".

Responding to a question from BBC Wales over why a remit letter had not been sent, Mr Sunak said: "We're really excited to deliver the north Wales electrification.

"It's something that the Welsh Conservatives, my colleagues, have talked about for a long time."

He added following the decision on HS2, the government had "freed up the money to invest a billion pounds in that electrification."

There have also been questions raised over whether one billion pounds would cover the cost.

Industry sources think another half a billion pounds would be needed, and the Welsh Secretary has admitted it could cost more.

It is understood that stakeholder meetings took place early in 2024, but that since then little has progressed.

The Welsh Secretary said it would be "foolish" to put an exact date on the plan

Speaking after the launch, the Welsh Secretary David TC Davies admitted that the timescale for big infrastructure projects could be frustrating.

He said it was his "understanding" that a commitment to electrification had been made and that the money would be available.

"Nobody expected them to rush out and start building a railway track," he said.

"It does take time and it can be frustrating."

Mr Davies said it would be "foolish" to put an exact date on the plan.

Additional reporting by David Deans.