Plans for faster trains and 30 new stations

Trains journeys from Bristol to London could take an hour

Long-term plans to cut rail journey times between cities and rural spots across the West have been shared.

Under the proposals, 30 new stations could be built, an additional 23 services per hour might be launched and six stations would be upgraded across the West of England and South Wales.

The Western Gateway Partnership's Rail Deal's vision is to reduce journey times from Bristol to London to an hour, and Bristol to Cardiff to 30 minutes.

Sarah Williams-Gardener, chair of the partnership, said the area is "poised to be the fastest-growing region outside of London".

Leaders of the partnership gathered in Cardiff on Tuesday to launch the deal, which could cost up to £11bn and be partly funded by central government.

However, without a substantial government cash injection, this vision for the area's transport would be difficult to move ahead with. The government has rolled out a range of cost-saving measures, as it deals with a £131bn deficit.

If delivered, organisers believe it will add an extra £17bn to the UK economy and could see an extra 248,000 people connected to stations in rural areas including South Wales, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

Rail connectivity plays a vital role in supporting our communities, the partnership's leaders say

"It [South Wales and Western England] has not had the critical investment in public transport infrastructure that other areas of the country have seen, particularly in rail," Ms Williams-Gardener said.

"This Rail Deal is deliverable and proportionate to the extraordinary offer that our economy presents to the UK."

Dan Okey from Great Western Railway said they have "worked with partners for several years" on the plans and welcome the "collective ambition for investment".

"We know that rail connectivity plays a vital role in supporting our communities and the plans for sustainable economic growth," he said.

Improving the rail network could also help to shift freight from roads to rail, reducing carbon emissions, the deal's report states.

As part of their ambitions to reach net zero, leaders hope to "address the gaps in electrification that lead to a high proportion of diesel services being run" across the area, the report states.

The Western Gateway is made up of local authorities, businesses and universities from across the West of England and South Wales.

A full Report on the deal proposals was published on Tuesday.