A NEW railway hub near Swansea announced today could cut the time of journeys between Pembrokeshire and Cardiff, according to the government.

The UK Government has today (July 22) announced its plans for a new parkway station in Swansea to cut journeys times from the west of Wales beyond.

Secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling, has also announced £58 million of funding for Cardiff Central Station to make platforms suitable for longer trains, as well as a commitment for up to a 14-minute journey time reduction between Cardiff and London from December 2019.

Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, said: “It is imperative that the two governments in Wales work closely together – in doing so, this strengthens the union and I look forward to receiving the proposals for an ambitious and deliverable business case.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, said the government was “committing to progressing plans for a west Wales Parkway station, which will deliver time savings of up to a quarter of an hour from Pembrokeshire to Cardiff and increase local connectivity around Swansea to provide greater opportunities for the whole of the Swansea Bay City region.”

But Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Marc Tierney, was not convinced of the plans and said investment in local rail infrastructure was needed.

He said: “If the Tories were serious about improving journey times between West Wales and the rest of the UK, they would be looking at rail network improvements here in Pembrokeshire.

“A new station down the line in Swansea will do nothing to change the fact it will still take over two hours and 15 minutes to get from Pembroke Dock to Swansea by rail, an hour longer than by road.”

He added: “Network Rail and the UK Government should be looking at investing in the south Pembrokeshire line to improve speed and safety, to help tackle climate change and make the train a viable alternative to the car.”