Labour’s Islwyn MP Chris Evans has called on the Government to provide funds to enable trains on the Ebbw Vale Line to travel to Newport as well as Cardiff.
In Parliament, Mr Evans received an assurance from Transport Minister Teresa Villiers that the Government would be willing to talk to the Welsh Assembly about the protracted engineering works the Gaer Junction.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Evans said: “The completion of the Gaer junction works will make it easier for people in Islwyn to travel to Newport for work, opening up job opportunities for local people as well as helping to attract inward investment to the valleys.
“In these challenging economic times it is vital that people in the job market are as mobile as possible. This is why it is so important that the Gaer junction works are completed as soon as possible and the rail link to Newport is re-established.
“I urge the Government to take action on the Gaer junction works as a matter of priority and ensure that this project becomes a reality. The link to Newport is needed now if the Valleys are to have a chance of weathering the storm that is being brewed up by public sector job cuts.”