UNDER Labour, we are seeing real investment in transport, from road repairs and infrastructure upgrades to better bus services and nationalisation of rail.

After 14 years of underinvestment and fragmented services, this is really needed in rural areas like Cornwall. Transport shapes our daily lives: it affects access to work, education, healthcare, and connection to friends and family. So, Cornwall needs steady, long-term investment in transport.

Cornwall’s inclusion in the new bus franchising pilot is brilliant news. With £500,000 to redesign the network around local needs, this is an opportunity to make a bus system that works in our favour. This sits alongside the extension of the £3 fare cap plus £20-million over three years for Cornwall’s bus system. When vital routes are dropped, the impact is damaging, which is why First’s withdrawal from Cornwall was so concerning. But with this three-year settlement, Cornwall Council, in partnership with Go Cornwall, can plan ahead and secure those routes we depend on.

Our roads are also set for improvements. Cornwall stands to gain £221.5-million over four years to tackle potholes and upgrade local routes, as part of a £7.3-billion national plan reversing years of decline. This investment will enable faster repairs and smoother journeys. We promised to fix an extra million potholes a year across the country, and this government funding puts us on track. I will keep pressing for urgent improvements where most needed, including a safer crossing at Cubert crossroads.

Rail is heading in the right direction too. The recent rail fares freeze, the first in 30 years, will encourage travel and put money back in passengers’ pockets. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act and the new Railways Bill will create Great British Railways, bringing order to a fragmented and costly system with simpler ticketing, a single body responsible for infrastructure and services, and a 30-year rail strategy. Rail staff deserve secure jobs, and essential services like cleaning and catering should come back in-house — along with the return of the buffet car, not just an understocked trolley.

There is still much to do. In Cornwall, trains offer a sustainable option where alternatives are limited, yet they are often unreliable and slow. Better Wi-Fi on our trains is essential. The recent pilot of one train with satellite wifi is a start, but we need it on all our trains. It’s great having two of the busiest branch lines in the country (St Ives and Falmouth), but I’d like to see more.

Finally, the new duty to promote freight rail and set a growth target is a big opportunity. Reopening the short stretch of track into Falmouth Docks would support Cornwall’s growing critical minerals sector, reduce heavy lorry traffic on our roads, and create skilled jobs linked to offshore wind and marine engineering. A small investment could unlock huge long-term benefits, and I have sought a meeting with the minister to press the case.

Taken together, better buses, roads, and a coherent, publicly owned railway give hope for the future.