The Secretary of State for Wales has said that rail was her “number one priority” for Wales, in an appearance before the Welsh Affairs Committee this week.

Speaking to the Committee, Jo Stevens said: “I am going into the Spending Review with rail as a number one priority for Wales.”

She said that the UK and Welsh Governments recognised that Wales had not received its fair share of funding in the past, and that the Transport Commissions for North and South-East Wales, and the Union Connectivity Review provided a blueprint for investment.

However, the Secretary of State did not commit to reclassifying HS2 as an England-only project, rather than its current status of an England and Wales project which prevents Wales from accessing compensatory funding.

She was also asked to indicate a timeline of planned actions but said she could not “pre-empt” the Government’s Spending Review.

The Secretary of State’s words followed the Committee’s publication of a letter from Government ministers Heidi Alexander and Jo Stevens, admitting to underinvestment in Welsh rail.

In the letter, ministers concede that railways in Wales have seen “low levels of enhancement spending”. They write that this makes it more difficult to “realise the modal shift needed to sustain a continuous enhancements pipeline.”

However, the ministers do not commit to specific amounts of funding for rail in Wales. They say that the prioritisation of rail service improvement projects proposed by the Wales Rail Board will contribute to the Spring Spending Review.

Responding to the session, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Ruth Jones, said: “Communities across Wales are being held back by historic underinvestment in our railways. Today’s news that improving Welsh rail will be the Secretary of State’s number one priority in the next spending review is most welcome.

“I was also pleased that she recognised our predecessor Committee’s role in making the case for a Wales Rail Board, identifying where new investment is most needed.

“I look forward to hearing details of her next steps towards sustainable long-term funding for rail in Wales, and a timeline for delivering on her commitments."