To much fanfare, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Welsh First Minister were in Cardiff recently to announce details of a £14bn investment in the railways of this nation.

Six new stations are to be built, mostly serving the Cardiff commuter belt, while a seventh is to be erected in Deeside close to the A55, Wrexham and Wirral area.

Naturally, you would think that as the great lump of Wales that sites in the middle, mid and west Wales might receive its fair share. Well think again.

Out of the £14bn of your money for your trains, Transport for Wales, the UK and Welsh Governments have set aside a sum of between £50m and £150m - you do the maths. But TfW’s shiny 32-page document entitled Today, Tomorrow, Together: A vision for rail across Wales and the Borders says this about the Cambrian Line: “Investment in track and signalling will allow us to make it easier to prevent or recover from any disruption on the single-track sections in Mid Wales. Longer term opportunities include building more stations along the line. £50m - £150m.”

That’s it. Nothing else.

And that “£50m - £150m” sum includes money already set aside for improved signalling works. That’s it. Nothing else.

Given the above, and considering that considerably less than 9.3 per cent of the total funding is actually coming our way, then few can argue that once more, mid and west Wales is being shafted by Cardiff Bay and Westminster. Together.

For a decade, campaigners have been fighting for Carno station to be re-opened. Fat chance that’s going to happen, given that this region isn’t on the radars of Eluned Morgan or Sir Keir.

In the coming weeks, you’re going to be bombarded with literature promising the sun moon and stars for you from whoever holds power after 6 May.

Pardon the pun, but let’s check their track record first. The train has well and truly left the station and this region is left behind once more.

The best we can do is fight to keep the scant services we have now on the Cambrian Line. Sadly, that’s just the way it is. But you can change that come 6 May.