Minister responds to Joyce’s queries re rail collision on the Cambrian Line

Following Monday evening’s rail collision on the Cambrian Line, local Senedd Member Joyce Watson has spoken in the Welsh Parliament (Tuesday 22 October 2024) to express her sympathies for all involved and to question the Transport Minister.

Speaking in the Senedd Joyce Watson MS, Mid and West Wales, said:

“My thoughts are with the family and the loved ones of the passenger who sadly lost his life, and also those who were injured and the others who were involved in this dreadful incident.”

She thanked the emergency services, NHS workers and all others who helped on site and in hospitals.

She asked the minister for a public update once the results of the investigation are available and thanked him for meeting rail trade unions to address the anxieties of those who operate the service.

She also asked for more details around how local travel would be affected, as children going to school and others are diverted onto narrow roads.

Transport Minister Ken Skates thanked her for her comments. He agreed to make a statement on the inquiry once the investigation has concluded and a report is published, to scrutinise the cause or causes of the incident.

Following his meeting with rail workers he said he was struck how, “the rail industry is a very close-knit family and it will come together – those employed within the industry will support one another.”

Regarding local transport disruption, Ken Skates said:

“School and college transport is operating, albeit via diversions, and, through Traffic Wales, people are able to keep up with the latest information regarding not just the trunk road, but the diversions along local roads as well.”