A MINI Metro plan should be developed for Ceredigion before the region is ‘out of the loop completely’ Elin Jones has said.

Elin Jones, Ceredigion’s MS, was reacting to an update by the Welsh Government on its £1.6 billion of spending on transport in Wales, little of which will directly benefit mid Wales.

Ms Jones told the Cambrian News: “There’s a gaping hole in Metro thinking in Wales – and that’s in mid Wales.

“I think it’s time to develop a 10 year Mini Metro plan for Ceredigion that develops key routes of active travel and public transport in Ceredigion, linking villages into our market towns.

“It should provide the links also into the south-west and north metro in order to ensure that Ceredigion is fully integrated into the Welsh metro grid.

“I’d like to see Ceredigion Council lead on the planning for this and work alongside Transport of Wales and Welsh Government to allocate the funding necessary.

“These investments won’t happen overnight, but if we don’t start planning our Mini Metro now, then we will be out of the loop completely”.

Ceredigion County Council backed calls made by Ms Jones for a Ceredigion Metro.

A council spokesperson said: “Ceredigion County Council would welcome that level of investment from Welsh Government to the county.

“We have grave concerns for the future of public transport in rural Wales and would be happy to support the campaign led by Elin Jones MS.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to developing sustainable public transport models that are tailored to the needs of rural communities but also link with urban transport networks.

“We need to make it as easy as possible for people to travel from urban to rural areas and vice versa - this is key to the success of our rural pathway which is already underway.”

The Welsh Government added that it will shortly be submitting a proposal to the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Fund to develop plans to increase capacity along the Cambrian and Heart of Wales rail lines.