THE Government announced on December 7 that funding is to be provided for projects identified as a priority in the Union Connectivity Review (UCR) that was produced by Network Rail chairman Peter Hendy.
The poor state of rail services between NorthWales and employment centres in North West England were identified as a significant factor in the social deprivation ofWelsh coastal towns such as Bangor and Llandudno, where average earnings are far below those available in English employment centres such and Liverpool and Manchester.
Using the‘GrossValue Added’economic statistics at the time of UCR submission in 2020, people living in local authority areas such as Conwy and Denbighshire had average earnings that were below £17,000 per annum.The rail service has been frozen in time, and reflects the much-reduced demand for travel to the seaside towns for leisure purposes rather than the ability for residents to use rail to access higher paid jobs.