Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
I am writing to update you following the completion of discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on an issue outstanding relating to the rail services financial arrangements.  

  

I am pleased to be able to tell you that the Secretary of State and I have reached an agreement following positive and detailed discussions since September 2017\. Our agreement protects both governments’ budgetary position in a fair and equitable way, correctly attributes liabilities, and most importantly benefits passengers in Wales and England. Reflecting the cross\-border nature of some of our rail services, the agreement also includes a provision from the Department for Transport for England only services.    

  

Dealing specifically with the access charge adjustment issue, the Secretary of State for Transport retains the regulatory risk and opportunity for future changes to access charge payments to Network Rail resulting from regulatory reviews, which means the Wales and Borders rail services contract will be treated in the same way as any other franchise and there will be no negative impact on fares or service levels.  

  

Our agreement will be published in due course.  

  

For absolute clarity, following detailed examination of the access charge adjustment issue, our agreement will bring to an end the existing access charge adjustment payment between Arriva Trains Wales and the Department for Transport. In 2017/18 this adjustment payment was £69\.85 million, and was forecast to grow with inflation. Members will recall that last year this was reported to lead to a requirement for payments from the Welsh Government to the UK Government totalling over £1 billion over the course of the next 15 year Wales \& Borders rail services contract.  

  

With the end to this adjustment payment we have agreed to a new arrangement, similar to the arrangement in place between franchise operators in England and the Department for Transport, which also takes account of the way the Welsh Government is funded. Through this agreement, future adjustment payments between the Welsh Government and Department for Transport, or between the Department for Transport and the Welsh Government, will be determined by comparing actual access charges paid to Network Rail to the payments assumed in our rail services contract. If the actual access charges match this assumption there will be no need for an adjustment. Due to the complex nature of the way the Welsh Government is funded for rail services provision, there will be a transition period to account for the HM Treasury’s Comprehensive Spending Review (2017\-2020\) assumption that the adjustment payments would continue at the forecast levels. To address this assumption, the Welsh Government will make two payments to the Department for Transport totalling £24\.8 million in 2018/19 and £71\.8 million in 2019/20\. The agreement is also structured to allow us to revisit the hold harmless arrangements should changes be made to the overall structure of access charges, franchisee payments, Control Periods or the structure of the wider GB rail industry.  

  

In terms of funding the South Wales Metro, the Secretary of State for Transport has reconfirmed his commitment to pay £125m (2014 prices) towards the cost, which we will draw down in line with expenditure. The agreement also includes a mechanism for calculating the adjustment following the transfer of the Valley Lines railway infrastructure.


 


 







Translation:


 
Rwy'n ysgrifennu atoch gyda'r diweddaraf am fy nhrafodaethau â'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Drafnidiaeth am fater sy'n gysylltiedig â threfniadau ariannol gwasanaethau'r rheilffyrdd.   
  
Mae'n dda gen i ddweud bod yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol a finne wedi dod i gytundeb ar ôl trafod cadarnhaol a manwl ers Medi 2017\. Mae'r cytundeb yn diogelu sefyllfa gyllidol y ddwy lywodraeth mewn ffordd deg a chydradd gan briodoli rhwymedigaethau'n gywir ac yn bwysicach, mewn ffordd a ddaw â budd i deithwyr yng Nghymru a Lloegr. O gofio bod rhai o'n gwasanaethau trenau'n rhychwantu'r ffin, mae'r cytundeb yn cynnwys cymal ynghylch gwasanaethau yn Lloegr yn unig.   
  
O ran addasu'r tâl mynediad, mae'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Drafnidiaeth yn cadw'r risg a'r cyfle a ddaw yn sgil adolygu'r rheoliadau  i newid taliadau mynediad yn y dyfodol ar Network Rail.  Mae hynny'n golygu y caiff contract gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd Cymru a'r Gororau ei drin yn un ffordd ag unrhyw fasnachfraint arall ac na fydd effaith negyddol ar brisiau tocynnau na lefelau gwasanaeth.   
  
Caiff ein cytundeb ei gyhoeddi maes o law.   
  
I esbonio'r sefyllfa'n glir ichi, ar ôl ystyried mater addasu'r tâl mynediad yn fanwl, bydd ein cytundeb yn dod â thaliad addasu'r tâl mynediad rhwng Trenau Arriva Cymru a'r Adran Drafnidiaeth i ben. Yn 2017/18\. £69\.85 miliwn oedd y taliad addasu hwnnw, a rhagwelwyd y byddai'n codi gyda chwyddiant. Bydd Gweinidogion yn cofio y bu sôn llynedd bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi talu dros £1 biliwn i Lywodraeth y DU dros 15 mlynedd contract gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd Cymru a'r Gororau.   
  
Gyda'r taliad addasu hwnnw wedi dod i ben, rydym wedi cytuno ar drefniant newydd, tebyg i'r trefniant rhwng gweithredwyr y masnachfreintiau a'r Adran Drafnidiaeth yn Lloegr, ond a fydd hefyd yn ystyried y ffordd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n cael ei hariannu. Trwy'r cytundeb hwn, pennir taliadau addasu rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Adran Drafnidiaeth neu rhwng yr Adran Drafnidiaeth a Llywodraeth Cymru yn y dyfodol trwy gymharu'r gwir daliadau mynediad a dalwyd i Network Rail â'r taliadau a ragdybiwyd yn ein contract gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd. Os bydd y gwir daliad mynediad yn cyfateb i'r swm rhagdybiedig, ni fydd angen taliad addasu. Oherwydd natur gymhleth y ffordd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n cael ei hariannu am ddarparu gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd, bydd cyfnod pontio i roi ystyriaeth i ragdybiaeth Adolygiad Cynhwysfawr o Wariant (2017\-2020\) y Trysorlys.  Yn ôl y rhagdybiaeth honno, bydd y taliadau addasu'n parhau ar y lefel a ragwelir. Ar sail hynny, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru'n gwneud dau daliad i'r Adran Drafnidiaeth \- £24\.8 miliwn yn 2018/19 a £71\.8 miliwn yn 2019/20\. Mae'r cytundeb yn caniatáu inni hefyd allu ailystyried y trefniadau indemnedd pe bai newidiadau'n cael eu gwneud i strwythur y taliadau mynediad, y taliadau i'r rheini sydd â'r fasnachfraint, y Cyfnodau Rheoli neu strwythur diwydiant rheilffyrdd ehangach Prydain.   
  
O ran ariannu Metro'r De, mae'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Drafnidiaeth wedi cadarnhau eto ei ymrwymiad i dalu £125m (prisiau 2014\) tuag at y gost.  Caiff hwnnw ei dynnu i lawr yn unol â gwariant. Mae'r cytundeb yn cynnwys mecanwaith hefyd ar gyfer ailgyfrif yr addasiad yn sgil trosglwyddo seilwaith Leiniau'r Cymoedd.