First Minister: Wales "hard done by" on HS2 and rail funding
Eluned Morgan said the country is owed funding from the high speed rail project
Last updated 15th Jan 2025
The UK Government has recognised Wales has been "hard done by" in terms of rail funding and extra cash is coming, the First Minister has said.
Speaking on a radio phone-in show, Eluned Morgan said the country is owed funding from the HS2 rail project.
She said: "If I think we are being hard done by then I speak up and I speak up on every occasion. HS2, the rail link between north and south England, they have poured money into that and for some reason, they classified it as an England and Wales project even though not one inch of track was laid in Wales. That for me is a fundamental injustice.
"For the first time, the UK Government has recognised that we have been underfunded. (We've had) a letter from Heidi Alexander saying, 'ok, something isn't right here'. Now there is a discussion about what we are going to do about it, 'where are your projects so we can invest'."
She said the funding was likely to come in the form of new stations and rail infrastructure, but did not specify where.
Asked how much funding Wales is going to get she said she hopes "it's going to be significant" but did not specify an amount.
"We haven't got to the numbers, but I can't tell you what a massive step forward this is," she said. "For the first time they're recognising 'you've been hard done by.''