As summer beds in we look forward to better weather, but the wet spring hasn’t dampened MAGOR’s enthusiasm to see our station delivered. As such, a number of activities have taken place to keep us on track.
In May, Ted Hand and Phil Inskip met relevant councillors and officers at County Hall to plan the next steps to get ‘Magor & Undy Walkway’ delivered as a ‘quick win’ for the Burns Delivery Group.
Also in May, Ted Hand and Peter Wilson met with teachers at both Magor and Undy primary schools to discuss the idea of a ‘Walk to School’ day. The aim being to encourage children that walking to school is not only good for the planet and for their health but also to give them the understanding of the ‘walkway’ concept for their future railway station. Both Magor Church in Wales and Undy Primary schools were enthusiastic in their support. A provisional date of 28th June has been proposed which is hoped to be confirmed shortly.
On the 5th June, Ted, Phil and I met with Prof. Simon Gibson (Independent Chair of Transport for Wales’s Burns Delivery Unit) at The Hub. The Burns Delivery Unit was established in January 2021 to accelerate implementation of the 58 recommendations of Lord Burns and the South East Wales Transport Commission (SEWTC). Simon was accompanied by Nichole Sarra (TfW’s Stakeholder Manager). The meeting gave MAGOR members the opportunity to debate concern that the ‘2030 date’ for the delivery of the whole Burns Project (which includes 5 new stations – Magor & Undy Walkway being one of them) was potentially unachievable. The upshot was that, whilst the delivery is a challenge and dependant on Welsh and UK Governments funding the project, there is much work going on behind the scenes to make it possible. Simon said that he expects to publish a forward look very shortly (probably after the general election) which would provide more information. We felt encouraged that ‘Magor’ was still in the mix and feedback from the recent public consultation had been taken on board. We thank Simon and Nichole for their time and appreciate their openness in the provision of information.
Paul
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