The Budget proposals have angered the Welsh Government, which said: ‘Promises by the UK Government to deliver a 14 billion pound commitment to put right decades of rail underfunding have been kicked further down the tracks.’ Deputy minister for transport Mark Hooper said 30 million pounds for Cardiff Parkway was ‘an insult to the people of Wales’.

Several major railway schemes have been given the green light by Chancellor John Healey, but critics say more attention needs to be paid to rail freight. The Chancellor’s list included the Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant & Castle into south east London, which was recognised as a ‘key infrastructure project’. Also mentioned was Stratford International, which may see international trains at last, along with a further 200 million pounds to upgrade Leeds station as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, while West Midlands Metro is also to be extended.