Written question WQ88115
- Asked by
- Delyth JewellPlaid
- To be answered by
- Minister for Climate Change
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that the South Wales Metro project is completed without going further over budget?
Answer
Answered by Deputy Minister for Climate Change
I have regular meetings with the CEO and Chair of Transport for Wales (TfW) to ensure TfW is delivering the Core Valley Lines Transformation Programme in a cost-effective manner. This is in addition to the governance structures which are in place at official level.
A number of factors led to the increased cost of delivering the programme including the impact of the pandemic, workforce and material availability following Brexit, and the war in Ukraine. To mitigate the impact of increasing costs TfW has worked to strengthen project controls and oversight.
We are supporting TfW to address material costs through steps such as pre-purchasing steel, cable and other materials in advance of anticipated material price increases. However, these steps can only go so far given the impact of external factors that are driving inflation and constraining supply chains.
Alongside TfW, we will continue to closely monitor progress to ensure the remaining elements of the programme are delivered efficiently.