Research commissioned by electrification system experts Furrer+Frey shows that public transport is a real concern for the majority of Welsh people.
The YouGov survey has been commissioned by Furrer+Frey to mark the launch of their new Wales office off Cardiff’s Cathedral Road, with seventy four per cent of the 1,103 Welsh adults surveyed claiming investment should be a priority for Welsh Government.
Furrer+Frey, which is currently working on electrification of the Severn Tunnel, Newport Tunnel and the mainline system (concept) design to Cardiff, was established in 1923 and is still run by the fourth generation of the family.
Seventy one per cent of those surveyed thought more investment in public transport would make a difference to the wider Welsh economy.
Eighty per cent of Welsh 18-24 year olds feel that more investment in public transport would make a difference to their access to education and seventy per cent of those surveyed said the investment would create jobs while eighty per cent think it would be easier to access those jobs.
Only forty eight per cent were currently satisfied with regional public transport with those in North Wales the least content – with just five per cent of those surveyed saying they are ‘very satisfied’.
Swiss-born Furrer+Frey is an SME which has provided engineers, consultants and project managers on global projects for nearly a century, now has a Wales-based team who will present the ‘Developing Sustainable, Agile, Multimodal, Transport Solutions for Wales’ white paper findings in more detail to transport industry experts at a Senedd reception next month.
Furrer+Frey GB has a tradition of academic excellence, working with global universities, as well as Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham and Sheffield Universities, as well as local college Coleg y Cymoedd in the South Wales Valleys. Director Noel Dolphin said: “Over the past ten years, Furrer+Frey has secured several large mainline rail electrification design projects in the UK and Wales has taken particular interested in our rapid charge stations which – in basic terms – charge public battery powered public transport like buses, trams and trains.
“We were keen to gauge the general opinion of public transport here in Wales and hope that our white paper of findings will contribute to informing future developments of Welsh transport systems.
“The research provides a real focus on benefits of electrification and potential options for electrification in Wales. Welsh Government is focused on driving economic benefits from investment in public transport, such as inward private investment, more and better jobs and better access to education.
“The Senedd event is sponsored by Mark Isherwood, the Assembly Member for North Wales and will provide insights for solutions for the whole of Wales.”