Ahead of the 2026 Senedd election, CILT Cymru Wales has looked at the manifestos for the six main parties in Wales, to highlight how each party is addressing the transport and logistics challenges in Wales. All of the parties do propose a number of different policies, and there are varying levels of detail. There are, however, two clear positions adopted by the parties. Four parties (Plaid Cymru, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens) take a broad approach, choosing to appeal to a range of different transport users. By contrast, the Conservatives and Reform adopt a pro-motorist stance. Below this high level position, there are more overlaps between the parties on specific policies. One challenge will be understanding the costs and timescales for delivering these policies – all manifestos are non committal on this. These will now be summarised, based on the table in the Appendix.
As already highlighted, two parties are adopting a pro-motoring position, and support this with policies committing to ending the 20mph default speed limit and substantial road building. On the former policy, it is interesting that even if the policy is ended, councils will have the final say in determining appropriate speed limits. Therefore, if enacted, there is the possibility that councils will choose not to revert to 30mph, for cost or safety reasons. With road building, all parties commit to some investment in roads, although in most cases the focus is on targeted investments along key corridors such as the M4, A55 and in mid-Wales. Three parties commit to expanding the EV charging network in Wales.
Turning to bus policy, it could be expected that there would be a significant focus on franchising given the primary legislation has recently been enacted through the Senedd. However, there are very few references to franchising itself, although many of the policy aspirations for better services could be enabled by franchising. Generally, parties are promising an expansion of subsidised travel, especially for travellers under 25 years old, but it is not clear the extent to which this is affordable. There is also the danger of undermining commercial routes which currently provide a subsidy to the wider network, and potentially leading to modal shift from rail which could then increase subsidy requirements there. Notably, Reform make no mention of buses at all in their manifesto.
What is likely to be an issue that gets a lot of coverage in the run up to the election is the funding for railways, and whether rail infrastructure should be devolved in the same way as in Scotland. Plaid Cymru explicitly commit to this while the Conservatives [and others?] focus on obtaining an appropriate financial settlement. All parties commit to further investment in rail across Wales, including new lines, stations and rolling stock, as well as improving reliability although some promises are effectively investments that are already underway.
Other modes receive comparatively less coverage. All manifestos except for Labour mention Cardiff Airport, with most promising a review of the support it currently receives. Possible outcomes from this review vary by party, from selling back to the private sector through to closure. Active travel is a feature of four manifestos, pledging to continue investment in this area for both walking and wheeling. Improving accessibility to the transport network is essential, and three parties make broad commitments in this area.
Unfortunately, there is almost no discussion of freight and logistics related policies. Plaid Cymru address port issues, focusing on resilience and taking advantage of financial opportunities. But beyond this, freight and logistics operators will be looking to promises of new industrial strategies, and the opportunities to support infrastructure investment in energy, transport and resilience as ways to grow their businesses in Wales.
To conclude, the manifestos offer a glimpse into how transport and logistics policy may develop over the next Senedd term, although getting certainty at this stage is difficult given polling outcomes and the likelihood of a coalition government. While the interventions are often described in isolation, the reality is that improving journeys on the transport network requires a range of interventions, so how these policies integrate with each other will be key to ensuring that users see tangible benefits. The lack of detail on how these policies will be funded in concerning, as this will constrain the ability and timescale of implementation. As an professional body, CILT Cymru Wales will be looking to work closely with the new Senedd Members upon their election to ensure that the transport and logistics sector sees improvements over the next 5 years.
Table based on published manifestos from official party websites, as at 17th April 2026.