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<p>The UK Government is proposing to devolve executive franchising functions to the
Welsh Government, to enable them to lead on the procurement and management of the
next Wales and Borders franchise. We continue to work with the Welsh Government on
the details of the devolved franchise, including how cross-border routes are procured
and managed. Cross-border routes are vital for passengers on both sides of the border;
having sufficient safeguards in place to protect all cross-border rail users is extremely
important.</p><p> </p><p>In order for the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure
proper accountability, it is likely that services primarily serving English markets
will be placed into other franchises for which the Secretary of State for Transport
is the franchising authority. No final decision has been made at this stage on which
services would be affected and specific proposals will be consulted on in due course
as is normal practice. It should also be noted that any transfer of executive franchising
functions to Welsh Ministers will be subject to parliamentary process in due course.</p><p>
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