Meeting the needs of future generations
Transport connects people and communities, helps businesses thrive, supports jobs and creates prosperity. It’s a powerful and dynamic tool for community cohesion, social justice and inclusive economic growth.
Llwybr Newydd - the Wales Transport Strategy will shape transport in Wales over the next 20 years. It prioritises people’s travel needs and the fight against climate change.
Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
Introduction
This Well-being Statement reflects our commitment to the principles and goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This legislation provides a framework for sustainable development and long-term thinking in public service delivery. It aims to ensure that the needs of present generations are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Our well-being objectives are designed to maximise our contribution to these goals. These objectives also adhere to the five ways of working prescribed by the Act: long-term thinking, prevention, integration, collaboration and involvement.
As a transport and travel organisation, we recognise our unique position to influence connectivity, economic development, health and well-being, environmental sustainability and social equity across Wales. Our objectives reflect our commitment to creating an accessible, sustainable and efficient multi-modal transport network that better serves communities in Wales.
This Well-being Statement outlines our specific objectives, the rationale behind them, and how they align with the national well-being goals. It describes our approach to implementing these objectives and how we’ll measure and report on our progress. By integrating sustainable development principles into our core operations and decision-making processes, we have a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for Wales.
Our journey towards the well-being of Wales 2018-2024
While not legally bound by the Act's specific requirements until June 2024, we voluntarily embraced its ethos, recognising the importance of sustainable transport in achieving Wales’s well-being goals. Our proactive approach reflects our role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for Wales.
We demonstrate our dedication to the well-being goals through various sustainability initiatives. By integrating the sustainable development principle into our transport policy, planning and operations, we’re prioritising the development of an accessible, low-carbon public transport network and investing in walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure.
Collaboration continues to play a crucial role in our approach. We work closely with local authorities and other stakeholders to improve connectivity across Wales, ensuring that transport solutions meet the varied needs of communities. This collaborative effort enhances access to essential services and fosters social equity.
We expanded our involvement in local governance by becoming members of Public Services Boards across Wales. This has allowed us to work closely and consistently with community leaders and the third sector to integrate transport planning with broader well-being objectives for communities.
How we set our objectives
Since being named in the Act in June 2024, we’ve looked at our internal systems and people to ensure that we have the capability, skills and processes to deliver benefits for Wales. We’ve extensively researched the objectives of other public bodies and the Public Services Boards to ensure thorough integration of our objectives with those of other organisations. The Well-being of Wales and Future Generations Reports were used to shape our priorities for the next ten years by analysing current and future trends. were used to shape our priorities for the next ten years by analysing current and future trends.
Throughout 2024, we invited colleagues to feed into the Ways of Working Progress Checker to help us identify gaps and opportunities in embedding the Five Ways of Working. In autumn and winter 2024/25 we further involved colleagues in shaping our objectives. Through collaborating with and the involvement of key stakeholders, partners, and colleagues, we produced our final set of objectives.
By including as many people as possible in their creation, our well-being objectives will be holistic, well-informed and truly reflective of our values as an organisation.
Our well-being objectives
Enabling people and communities
We'll involve the communities we serve and work with them to develop a transport network that contributes to a more equal and healthier Wales, ensuring everyone is confident to use it.
By engaging local people in planning processes, we’ll meet the diverse needs of different communities. This will allow us to design routes and services that reflect real-world requirements. Additionally, we’ll promote options like walking, wheeling and cycling. This will require creating infrastructure that encourages physical movement and reduce barriers to essential services. We’ll provide clear travel information, offer training for less confident users and ensure that our transport systems are easy to use.
Our goals are to reduce transport inequalities, improve community connectivity, support physical and mental health, and empower people to travel independently.
Through our community-centred approach, we’ll create a transport system that serves everyone in Wales and the borders.
Benefitting the environment
We'll develop a transport network that supports biodiversity, enhances ecosystem resilience, improves air quality and increases resource efficiency.
By collaborating closely with local communities, environmental agencies and stakeholders, we’ll design innovative transportation solutions that reduces harmful emissions and actively contributes to preserving Wales' rich natural heritage.
We’ll implement strategies that promote electric and low-carbon vehicles, develop green transportation corridors, and integrate sustainable design principles that support local wildlife and ecological systems.
We’ll increase resource efficiency through a circular economy approach, selecting materials and construction methods that minimise environmental impact, and creating transportation networks that support biodiversity conservation.
We’re building a transport network that is a catalyst for ecological regeneration and climate resilience. This will ensure that our transportation infrastructure enhances Wales' natural environment for current and future generations.
Supporting local areas and the economy
We'll build a transport network that contributes to Wales’ wider economic ambitions and helps local communities thrive. Our approach will align transportation infrastructure with economic development goals. This will create opportunities for local businesses, supporting employment, and driving regional prosperity.
We’ll adopt the latest technological innovations, integrating solutions like smart ticketing, digital connectivity, and intelligent transport systems to enhance efficiency and user experience. Addressing transport affordability will be a priority. This will ensure that our network is accessible to all socio-economic groups, creating equitable access to work, education, and essential services.
Through collaborative planning with local authorities, businesses, Corporate Joint Committees, Welsh Government and community stakeholders, we’ll design a transport system that supports regional growth, stimulates innovation, and creates meaningful opportunities for the communities we serve.
Elevating Welsh language and culture
We'll create a transport network that supports the Welsh language, enables more people to access arts, sport, and cultural activities and protects and enhances the historic environment.
We’ll continue to integrate Welsh language signage, bilingual communication, and cultural sensitivity into our infrastructure and services. We’ll design transport networks that make arts, sports, and cultural venues more accessible through low-carbon and affordable transportation options.
By collaborating with local cultural organisations, heritage experts and community groups, we’ll create a network that connects people to cultural destinations, historical landscapes and heritage sites. We’ll minimise the impact of our projects on historic environments by using sensitive design techniques.
We’ll engage communities in understanding the connection between transportation, travel, cultural identity and environmental preservation. We’ll celebrate the Welsh language, support cultural vibrancy, and act as a guardian of our historic and natural heritage.
Through this holistic approach, we aim to position travel as a platform to connect people, preserve culture and enhance Welsh communities.
Maximising our contribution to the well-being goals
We’ve developed our objectives to integrate and align with the Seven Well-being Goals, where each of our corporate objectives directly impacts more than one goal and has knock-on positive impacts across all goals.
| TfW Well-being objective | Well-being goals | ||||||
| A Prosperous Wales | A Healthier Wales | A Wales of Cohesive Communities | A Resilient Wales | A Globally Responsible Wales | A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language | A More Equal Wales | |
| Enabling people and communities | ^ | * | * | ^ | ^ | ^ | * |
| Benefitting the environment | ^ | * | ^ | * | * | ^ | ^ |
| Supporting local areas and the economy | * | ^ | * | ^ | * | ^ | ^ |
| Elevating Welsh language and culture | ^ | ^ | * | ^ | ^ | * | * |
* direct impact
^ secondary impact
Our ways of working
| Long-term | We’ll embed futures thinking in our operations and decision-making by,
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| Prevention | We’ll prioritise identifying the root causes of issues, taking a proactive approach and stopping issues from becoming worse by,
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| Integration | We’ll take an integrated approach, streamlining our processes to avoid duplication of work and supporting other public bodies’ objectives by,
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| Involvement | We’ll enhance our involvement processes, working with external partners to ensure that all internal and external experts are better able to advise on our activities and that communities are empowered and have an equal voice in all our decision-making by,
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| Collaboration | We’ll simplify our collaboration and partnership arrangements, ensuring that we can remove barriers to working with other public bodies, industry partners, the third sector and communities by,
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How we’ll achieve our objectives
| TfW Well-being objective | Next steps |
| Enabling people and communities | We’re committed to improving our community involvement practices and ensuring that everyone has a voice in transport planning decisions. By January 2027, we’ll implement a comprehensive training program for all senior leaders and decision-makers within TfW. This training will focus on co-production and involvement techniques with an emphasis on understanding community demographics, building long-term relationships with diverse community members and actively involving people throughout our project lifecycles. We’ll enhance accessibility for everyone, regardless of age or ability. For example, we’ll provide step-free access to all platforms on our devolved network by 2028. We’ll enable people to make healthier travel choices. The Welsh Government have set a target of 39% of journeys by sustainable modes by 2030. To help achieve that, we’ll become the preferred design partner for local authorities through collaborative efforts to design spaces and infrastructure that is accessible and user-friendly. By 2030, we’ll roll out a programme of training on co-design for all key decision-makers. Over the next 2 years, we’ll work with external partners to improve our involvement processes. We’ll continue to engage with user groups to understand the barriers people face to using our network. We’ll also continue to deliver solutions to help such as a continued roll-out of tactile paving installation at our stations. |
| Long-term vision: | |
| We’re committed to enhancing our partnerships and collaboration efforts. We’ll expand our existing relationships and seek new opportunities across various sectors, including deepening our engagement with current Public Services Board partners to create more integrated and impactful initiatives. We’ll build partnerships with third-sector organisations, leveraging their grassroots connections and local expertise to better understand and address community travel needs. We’re dedicated to enhancing services and outcomes for all individuals, with a particular emphasis on those facing socio-economic disadvantage, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and the socio-economic duty. We acknowledge our responsibility to actively consider how our strategic decisions can help reduce inequalities stemming from socio-economic disadvantage. By 2035, we’ll launch a new forum to ensure everyone can influence projects outside of consultation windows. We’ll improve our involvement processes and develop a platform for choosing partners to ensure we’re involving people beyond ‘the usual suspects’. We’ll support the Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales Act by promoting active travel through improved infrastructure for walking, cycling, and wheeling making physical activity a convenient part of daily routines. We’ll also foster healthier food environments by ensuring nutritious options are available at transport hubs and on our services, while encouraging behavioural change through advertising and campaigns. | |
| Benefitting the environment | Next steps |
| We’ll enhance the passenger experience and lower transport emissions in Wales. By 2030, we’ll roll out 100% of our fleet of lower emission trains that are new to our network. This initiative will decrease the carbon footprint of Wales and encourage more people to use public transport by enhancing passenger comfort through modern, efficient vehicles with improved accessibility features. The new fleet will deliver multiple benefits, including reduced environmental impact, quieter and smoother journeys, increased reliability, and better connectivity across Wales and its borders. We’ll support the Welsh Government's ambition of a zero-emission bus network by 2035. We’ll develop a bus fleet transition strategy with Welsh Government, local authorities and bus operators. To minimise our environmental impact, we’ll adopt a circular approach to our resources in our stations and infrastructure projects and procurement processes. This strategy will prioritise the reuse of materials and efficient recycling throughout our operations. We’ll install segregated recycling facilities at transport hubs, making it easier for our customers to recycle. By 2035, we’ll ensure that all our projects recycle at least 50% of their materials where possible by adopting a circular approach, ensuring we’re remaining within our fair share of planetary resources and limiting our global impact. (public recycling rates, depots and stations recycling rates, infrastructure recycling rates). We’ll support the Clean Air Plan for Wales by installing air quality monitoring devices at all our Category A stations and rail or new build depots by 2035. This initiative aligns with the plan's focus on enhancing air quality monitoring and public awareness, enabling us to reduce pollution exposure and protect public health. By 2030, we’ll ensure all of our offices and depots have a 70% recycling rate. By 2030, we’ll encourage and enable all our customers to achieve a 70% recycling rate through enhanced measures, increased number of waste hubs and signage. | |
| Long-term vision | |
| We’ll contribute to the Welsh Government's ambition for nature recovery by protecting existing areas of ecological value and enhancing ecological connectivity and identifying key areas for biodiversity improvement within and near our transport network. This will involve conducting comprehensive ecological assessments along our transport corridors and collaborating with local stakeholders, including conservation groups and authorities. By implementing targeted biodiversity enhancement measures, we aim to contribute to the creation of resilient ecological networks that align with the Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) for Wales and Environment (Wales) Act 2016, which seek to reverse the decline in biodiversity and provide societal benefits. Our vision is to use our transport network to create linear green corridors, connecting fragmented wildlife habitats across landscapes. This connectivity is essential for species movement, especially for wide-ranging animals and those with specific habitat requirements. We’ll continue to implement our Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan to improve infrastructure resilience, ensure continuity of services, and maximise economic benefits through strategic climate-adaptive investments. This approach will create a more robust and sustainable transportation network. By incorporating nature-based solutions (NbS) such as natural flood management using restored habitats, green corridors, and wildlife-friendly features, we can address climate challenges cost-effectively while improving air quality, promoting sustainable transport, and enhancing biodiversity. | |
| Supporting local areas and the economy | Next steps |
| We’ll enable easier access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and employment through our transport network. We’ll provide clear travel information by developing user-friendly journey-planning tools that integrate multiple types of transport and offer real-time updates on service disruptions. We’re committed to enhancing the bus network workstream in collaboration with Regional Planning Teams to better support rural economies and communities in Wales and the borders. By 2035, in partnership with bus franchises, we’ll improve connectivity between buses, trains, walking, cycling, and wheeling. By following the bus network transition plans, we will implement Welsh Government policies and prepare for future franchising rollout. By creating a fair fare scheme and implementing a pay-as-you-go system, we’ll make public transport more affordable and convenient. We’ll offer training programs to help customers, through initiatives like 'Confidence to Travel and Travel Ambassador' programs which includes videos and one-on-one support. Integrating a comprehensive journey planning system and a simplified ticketing system will allow customers to navigate across different service providers seamlessly. | |
| Long term vision | |
| We will review our involvement processes to ensure accessibility remains at the heart of our decision-making. By 2035, we will create and embed a new approach to involvement which includes mandatory input from our Accessibility panels during infrastructure and placemaking projects. We’ll help drive regional growth and support local economic ambitions by working closely with Public Services Boards, Corporate Joint Committees, and local authorities. We’ll improve our current partnership arrangements as part of our work on reviewing and simplifying collaboration processes. We’ll integrate the recommendations of Public Services’ Boards’ well-being assessments into our transport planning processes, ensuring that we’re addressing the root causes of issues in our communities and enabling people to access essential services sustainably. | |
| Elevating Welsh language and culture | Next steps |
| We’ll create and publish our heritage action plan by 2030, embedding our commitment to collaborate with residents, academic institutions, experts, partners and local authorities to safeguard and promote our heritage and culture. We’ll protect Wales’s rich heritage and make it accessible for future generations. We'll explore innovative ticketing solutions that combine event entry with public transport fares, making it easier for people to choose sustainable travel modes. We’ll partner with tourism boards to promote car-free leisure experiences, highlighting how an integrated transport network can enhance access to Wales's cultural and natural heritage. | |
| Long-term vision | |
| We’re committed to enhancing partnerships to improve public transport access for sports, arts, music and leisure tourism. We’ll collaborate with cultural venues, sports facilities and tourism organisations to create integrated transport solutions that seamlessly connect visitors to these attractions. By working closely with event organisers and local authorities, we’ll continue to develop tailored transport plans for major sporting events, concerts, and festivals. We’re supporting the Welsh Government's goal of one million Welsh speakers by 2050 by ensuring all passenger communications and customer information are provided bilingually in Welsh and English. Our commitment will enhance the visibility and usage of the Welsh language and ensure there are no barriers when accessing Welsh language information. |
Monitoring and reporting
We’re implementing a comprehensive Social Effectiveness Framework to monitor and report on well-being goals. This framework will be tied to the national indicators set by the Future Generations Commissioner, the Welsh Transport Strategy monitoring measures, and our own Key Performance Indicators.
By integrating these goals into our framework, we aim to create a transport system that meets the current needs of Wales and contributes to a more sustainable and prosperous future. This approach ensures that our activities are consistently evaluated against broader socio-economic objectives.
| TfW Social effectiveness framework | |||
| ^ | ^ | ^ | |
| TfW Well-being Objectives | National indicators | Llwybr Newydd WTS measures | TfW Key Performance Indicators |
| Enabling people and communities | 03. Percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours. 48. Percentage of journeys by walking, cycling or public transport. 09 Gross Value Added (GVA) per hour worked (relative to UK average). 18. Percentage of people living in households in income poverty relative to the UK median: measured for children, working age and those of pension age. 19. Percentage of people living in households in material deprivation. 23. Percentage of people who feel able to influence decisions affecting their local area. 24. Percentage of people satisfied with their ability to get to/ access the facilities and services they need. 25. Percentage of people feeling safe at home, walking in the local area, and when travelling 26. Percentage of people satisfied with local area as a place to live. 48. Percentage of journeys by walking, cycling or public transport | M1 Percentage of journeys by walking, cycling, and public transport. M4 Average distance travelled per person. S1 Average travel time to education, health and leisure services. S2 Percentage of people satisfied with their ability to access services in their local area. S3 Percentage of people within walking distance of sustainable modes of transport. S4 Percentage of people who walk or cycle at least once a week as a means of transport. S5 Percentage of journeys to a rail station by walking, cycling or bus. S6 Percentage of trips to visitor attractions by sustainable modes of transport. S11 Percentage of people satisfied with their journey. S12 Percentage of people satisfied with their ability to access public transport independently. S13 Percentage of railway stations that are step-free. S18 Percentage of people who feel they can’t afford to travel by public transport. S20 Percentage of people who feel safe and welcome when travelling. | Safety incidents per 100k passenger journeys Complaints per 100k rail journeys Core Valley Lines on time (to 3 minutes) Wales and Cross Borders on time (to 3 minutes) On-the-day cancellations Pre-cancellations TrawsCymru complaints per 100k journeys TrawsCymru cancellations |
| Benefitting the environment | 04 Levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in the air. 15 Amount of waste generated that is not recycled, per person. 41. Emissions of greenhouse gases within Wales. 44 Status of biological diversity in Wales. 43 Areas of healthy ecosystems in Wales 48. Percentage of journeys by walking, cycling or public transport. | M2 Percentage of vehicles that are ultra-low or zero emission. M4 Average distance travelled per person. M6 Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. S4 Percentage of people who walk or cycle at least once a week as a means of transport. S5 Percentage of journeys to a rail station by walking, cycling or bus. S7 Percentage of rail network that is electrified. S8 Percentage of land-based freight moved by rail. S10 Number of publicly available electric vehicle charging points. S22 Percentage of transport infrastructure at risk of flooding. S25 Hectares of habitat on the transport estate maintained or improved for biodiversity benefit. S23 Level of air pollutants from the transport sector. S26 Percentage of waste produced by the transport sector that is reused or recycled. | Rail passenger journeys TrawsCymru passenger journeys Carbon Dioxide emissions per passenger kilometre |
| Supporting local areas and the economy | 08 Percentage of adults with qualifications at the different levels of the National Qualifications Framework. 09 Gross Value Added (GVA) per hour worked (relative to UK average). 18. Percentage of people living in households in income poverty relative to the UK median: measured for children, working age and those of pension age. 19. Percentage of people living in households in material deprivation. | M1 Percentage of journeys by walking, cycling, and public transport. M4 Average distance travelled per person. S1 Average travel time to education, health and leisure services. S2 Percentage of people satisfied with their ability to access services in their local area. S5 Percentage of journeys to a rail station by walking, cycling or bus. S6 Percentage of trips to visitor attractions by sustainable modes of transport. S12 Percentage of people satisfied with their ability to access public transport independently. S13 Percentage of railway stations that are step-free. S18 Percentage of people who feel they can’t afford to travel by public transport. | Applicants who are women Women applicants who gain roles with TfW Colleague retention Operating expenditure Capital expenditure Ticket sales |
| Elevating Welsh language and culture | 35 Percentage of people attending or participating in arts, culture or heritage activities at least three times a year. | S6 Percentage of trips to visitor attractions by sustainable modes of transport. S15 Percentage of Welsh speakers using Welsh language services in the transport sector. S14 Percentage of buses and trains with audio-visual information S27 Percentage of designated historical assets on the transport estate that are in a stable or improving condition. | Complaints to Welsh Language Commissioner per 100k journeys |
