Ruth Jones, the MP for Newport West, is backing Labour’s plans to overhaul Britain’s railways and get local train services back on track.

Yesterday, April 25, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh MP unveiled detailed plans to reform Britain’s railways and said they would “end the chaos passengers have been forced to endure”.

Under the Tories, Britain’s broken rail network is simply not delivering. Cancellations have soared to record high levels. Since 2010, fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages.

Since 2016, there has been a shocking 61 per cent increase in cancellations.

Transport for Wales is already publicly owned but the efficiency and improvement of cross-border services is vital for jobs, tourism and leisure in Wales.

The next Labour government will fold existing private passenger rail contracts into a new publicly owned, expert-led body – Great British Railways – as they expire.

During its first term, a Labour government would also establish a new Passenger Standards Authority and achieve significant savings by eliminating waste and bureaucracy.

The plans form a crucial part of Labour’s missions for government by boosting productivity and driving growth.

Ruth Jones MP said: “For too long my constituents in Newport West have been let down by unreliable train services which hold back our local economy and hamper opportunities for work and travel.

“That’s why I’m supporting Labour’s plans to create Great British Railways – a new publicly owned body which will put passengers first.

“After 14 long years of waste and bureaucracy under the Tories in England, these plans will have an enormous positive effect on cross-border services in Wales and I am fully on board.”

Louise Haigh MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, said: “Labour will deliver the biggest overhaul of our railways for a generation, ending the deepening crisis and chaos that passengers have been forced to endure in recent years.

“Underinvestment, fragmentation, inefficiency, waste and 14 years of tinkering by Conservative Ministers have left our railways unfit to meet the demands of modern Britain.”