A multimillion-pound scheme to modernise railways in south Wales is to go ahead after the conclusion of a long-running wrangle between the UK and Welsh governments over who will fund the project. Prime Minister David Cameron is to unveil a funding package which will see the UK Government contribute £125 million to the Valley Lines electrification scheme, while also covering the full costs of electrifying the Great Western mainline to Swansea. The Welsh Government will take over sponsorship and delivery of the Valley Lines project. Meanwhile, control over the Wales and the Borders rail franchise will be devolved, so that the Welsh Government chooses an operator after Arriva Trains Wales’s contract runs out in 2018. As part of the deal, the UK Government will take over sponsorship and fund delivery of the Cardiff-Bridgend section of the mainline electrification scheme to Swansea, worth £105 million.
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