English: I want to spend the bulk of my time talking about the Abernant tunnel that connects Cwmbach to Merthyr or, as it is known locally, the Merthyr tunnel. This former railway tunnel, designed by Brunel, was part of the Vale of Neath Railway and is one strand, one branch, of the rich network of historic industrial infrastructure that we enjoy in Wales. Indeed, for 110 years, the main role of this amazing structure was to export coal from the Aberdare area to meet demand further afield. This reminds us of one of the negative aspects of that heritage, and of the industrial revolutions themselves: the precious mineral deposits, the struggle and toil of working men, the natural environment, all exploited for the enrichment of the few. However, as the second point of the motion sets out, reopening these tunnels could provide opportunities for real, lasting benefits for the many, firstly, in terms of integrated transport and active travel opportunities. The walking and cycling charity, Sustrans, did a piece of work looking at the 21 disused railway tunnels in south-east Wales. They found that the Abernant tunnel scored highest under the Sustrans route assessment and transport evaluation tool. As the Deputy Minister knows, this is their mechanism for evaluating the potential of walking and cycling schemes. And as Sustrans noted, it could provide a direct, traffic-free active travel route from Aberdare to Merthyr, and this is something that we don't have at present. Indeed, I know of many constituents who cycle alongside the A465 Heads of the Valleys road as there is no real alternative, partly on a cycle path and partly on a rough grass verge in order to commute to work. So, the potential is there. It has, as the Sustrans report says, the highest potential of all the routes analysed to encourage modal shift by encouraging commuting. It was just today that my colleague, the AM for Ogmore, Huw Irranca-Davies, noted that since the advent of the active travel Act in Wales, we've actually seen a decline in people walking and cycling. I see these tunnels as really being a catalyst that could turn that around and bring the active travel Act to life. It could boost health and well-being, as other colleagues in this debate have noted, especially amongst children and older people too. The tunnel itself connects with a series of footpaths that are very well used on the Cwmbach side already for cycling, walking and dog walking, and also on the Merthyr side the path links very closely to BikePark Wales. So, there are tourist opportunities there as well, and the practical benefits that it would bring to linking in areas of high deprivation and population density. The Sustrans report also suggested that the tunnel was in a very viable condition, meaning that it would present a reasonable option in terms of cost-benefit analysis too. That's something that I saw for myself when I was treated to a tour of the tunnel alongside my colleague, the AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Dawn Bowden. The tunnel, which is gated at either end, as you may have seen in some of the images that were shown earlier, has been really well maintained, with over £100,000 of investment in the interior to make sure that it is in a safe and viable condition. In this regard, it gives me the chance to pay tribute to the work of Hammond ECS Ltd. They're a specialist structural maintenance company who are actually based in the village of Cwmbach in my constituency. They have a key role to play, this family-run business, in ensuring that not only the Abernant tunnel, but also the rest of the network - which, as we know, is currently owned by Highways England - has been kept in a suitable condition, because they hold the contracts to do just that. This, for me, is another important strand of the argument in favour of repurposing the tunnels, for not only would opening these tunnels offer transport opportunities, but they offer also chances for economic development and regeneration, as the motion mentions, and business opportunities for companies like Hammond ECS, companies employing local people in skilled jobs. Sustrans, indeed, cite a figure of 0.74 jobs for every kilometre of active travel route created. When we look at other tunnels that have been converted, such as the Two Tunnels Greenway in Somerset, people have flocked from all over to celebrate their opening.
Welsh: Rwyf am dreulio'r rhan fwyaf o fy amser yn sôn am dwnnel Aber-nant sy'n cysylltu Cwm-bach â Merthyr, neu dwnnel Merthyr, fel y'i gelwir yn lleol. Roedd yr hen dwnnel rheilffordd hwn, a gynlluniwyd gan Brunel, yn rhan o Reilffordd Cwm Nedd ac mae'n un edefyn, un gangen, o'r rhwydwaith cyfoethog o seilwaith diwydiannol hanesyddol rydym yn ei fwynhau yng Nghymru. Yn wir, am 110 o flynyddoedd, prif swyddogaeth y strwythur rhyfeddol hwn oedd allforio glo o ardal Aberdâr i fodloni'r galw ymhellach i ffwrdd. Mae hyn yn ein hatgoffa o un o agweddau negyddol y dreftadaeth honno, ac o'r chwyldroadau diwydiannol eu hunain: y dyddodion mwynol gwerthfawr, brwydr a llafur y gweithwyr, yr amgylchedd naturiol, i gyd yn cael eu hecsbloetio er mwyn cyfoethogi'r lleiafrif. Fodd bynnag, fel y mae ail bwynt y cynnig yn ei nodi, gallai ailagor y twneli hyn ddarparu cyfleoedd ar gyfer manteision gwirioneddol a pharhaol i'r lliaws, yn gyntaf, o ran trafnidiaeth integredig a chyfleoedd teithio llesol. Gwnaeth yr elusen cerdded a beicio, Sustrans, waith a edrychai ar yr 21 o dwneli rheilffordd nas defnyddir yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru. Canfuwyd mai twnnel Aber-nant a sgoriodd uchaf o dan offeryn asesu llwybrau a gwerthuso trafnidiaeth Sustrans. Fel y gŵyr y Dirprwy Weinidog, dyma'u dull o werthuso potensial cynlluniau cerdded a beicio. Ac fel y nododd Sustrans, gallai ddarparu llwybr teithio llesol uniongyrchol a di-draffig o Aberdâr i Ferthyr, rhywbeth nad oes gennym ar hyn o bryd. Yn wir, gwn am lawer o etholwyr sy'n beicio ar hyd ochr ffordd A465 Blaenau'r Cymoedd gan nad oes dewis arall mewn gwirionedd, yn rhannol ar lwybr beicio ac yn rhannol ar lain o borfa arw wrth ymyl y ffordd er mwyn cymudo i'r gwaith. Felly, mae potensial yno. Fel y dywed adroddiad Sustrans, hwn sydd â'r potensial uchaf o'r holl lwybrau a ddadansoddwyd i annog newid moddol drwy annog cymudo. Dim ond heddiw y nododd fy nghyd-Aelod, yr AC dros Ogwr, Huw Irranca-Davies, ein bod, mewn gwirionedd, ers dyfodiad y Ddeddf teithio llesol yng Nghymru, wedi gweld gostyngiad yn nifer y bobl sy'n cerdded ac yn beicio. Rwy'n ystyried y twneli hyn fel catalyddion a allai newid hynny'n llwyr a dod â'r Ddeddf teithio llesol yn fyw. Gallai hybu iechyd a llesiant, fel y mae cyd-Aelodau eraill wedi'i nodi yn y ddadl hon, yn enwedig ymhlith plant a phobl hŷn hefyd. Mae'r twnnel ei hun yn cysylltu â chyfres o lwybrau cerdded ar ochr Cwm-bach sydd eisoes yn cael defnydd da iawn o ran beicio, cerdded a cherdded cŵn, a hefyd, ar ochr Merthyr, mae'r llwybr yn cysylltu'n agos iawn â BikePark Wales. Felly, mae cyfleoedd i dwristiaid yn y fan honno hefyd, a'r manteision ymarferol a fyddai'n dod yn sgil cysylltu ag ardaloedd difreintiedig iawn a dwysedd poblogaeth uchel. Awgrymodd adroddiad Sustrans hefyd fod y twnnel mewn cyflwr hyfyw iawn, gan olygu y byddai'n opsiwn rhesymol o ran dadansoddiad cost a budd hefyd. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth a welais drosof fy hun pan gefais fynd ar daith i weld y twnnel gyda fy nghyd-Aelod, yr AC dros Ferthyr Tudful a Rhymni, Dawn Bowden. Mae'r twnnel, sydd â giât ar y naill ben a'r llall, fel rydych wedi'i weld mewn rhai o'r lluniau a ddangoswyd yn gynharach o bosibl, wedi'i gynnal yn dda iawn, gyda buddsoddiad o dros £100,000 ar y tu mewn i sicrhau ei fod mewn cyflwr diogel a hyfyw. Yn hynny o beth, mae'n rhoi cyfle i mi dalu teyrnged i waith Hammond ECS Ltd, cwmni cynnal a chadw strwythurol arbenigol sydd wedi'i leoli ym mhentref Cwm-bach yn fy etholaeth. Mae ganddynt rôl allweddol i'w chwarae, y busnes teuluol hwn, yn sicrhau bod twnnel Aber-nant, a gweddill y rhwydwaith hefyd - sydd, fel y gwyddom, yn eiddo i Highways England ar hyn o bryd - wedi'i gadw mewn cyflwr addas, gan mai hwy a gafodd eu contractio i wneud hynny. Mae hyn, i mi, yn elfen bwysig arall o'r ddadl o blaid adfer y twneli, oherwydd nid yn unig y byddai agor y twneli hyn yn cynnig cyfleoedd trafnidiaeth, ond maent hefyd yn cynnig cyfleoedd ar gyfer adfywio a datblygu economaidd, fel y mae'r cynnig yn nodi, a chyfleoedd busnes i gwmnïau fel Hammond ECS, cwmnïau sy'n cyflogi pobl leol mewn swyddi medrus. Yn wir, mae Sustrans yn nodi ffigur o 0.74 o swyddi ar gyfer pob cilometr o lwybr teithio llesol a grëir. Pan edrychwn ar dwneli eraill a addaswyd, megis Two Tunnels Greenway yng Ngwlad yr Haf, mae pobl wedi heidio o bob cwr i ddathlu eu hagoriad.