North Wales Metro

North Wales Metro or North East Wales Metro is a series of improvements to the transport network that were proposed in 2016 and is part of Welsh Labour's plan for North Wales.[1][2][3] Labour has pledged to open the system by 2035. The proposals were included in the 2018 Wales & Borders franchise contest.[4] The Metro is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail and light rail services linking major settlements and employment areas with hubs located in Wrexham, Chester and Deeside.[5]

Plans

Proposals include new stations at Deeside Industrial Estate and North Wrexham, upgrades to railway stations, and new bus routes to improve connections. Further upgrades to existing rail routes are also proposed.

As part of the new Wales & Borders franchise, operated by Transport for Wales Rail, it has been announced that modernisation of the Borderlands Line between Wrexham and Bidston will be the first phase of the North Wales Metro. Electro-diesel Class 230 Metro trains will be deployed in 2019, with services increased to 2 trains per hour in each direction from 2021, one as a stopping service and the other as an express with limited stops.[6]

In April 2018, a cash boost of £1.2 million was award to the proposed scheme which included a new station at Deeside.[7]

References

1. "Welsh Government - North East Wales Metro". gov.wales.
2. Barry, Sion (2 March 2017). "Vision revealed for a North East Wales Metro". Wales Online.
3. Davidson, Tom (15 April 2016). "Where the North Wales Metro will - and won't - be stopping".
4. "Arriva pulls out of Welsh rail bid". BBC News. 30 October 2017.
5. "250 new jobs for Wrexham as packaging company picks Llay for new HQ – £50m investment expected".
6. "North East Wales Metro details revealed as Ken Skates gives detail on Wales-wide 'transformation of transport'". Wrexham.com.
7. "'Too many vehicles parking on the road'". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-10-30.