COUNTY councillors in Carmarthenshire have unanimously condemned the Government's decision not to electrify the Great Western line to Swansea as a "massive disappointment".
A meeting of full council backed a call to write to the Secretary of State for Transport about the Government's decision to only electrify the line from London to Cardiff.
Council deputy leader Kevin Madge, the Labour group leader who moved the motion with independent group leader Pam Palmer, told council: "The time has come where us councils and the people of West Wales have got to highlight these issues to Government.
"Infrastructure issues are important if West Wales is to have a future and investment is needed. West Wales should not be left behind."
The motion was backed by opposition Plaid members, but they also criticised the former Labour Government in Westminster. Councillor Alan Speake said it was an "absolute disgrace" nothing had been done by 2011. "More money should have been ploughed into this service years before," he said.
In Government, Labour pledged to electrify the line to Wales in a move that it claimed would cut journey times from London to Cardiff by 15 minutes and to Swansea by another four minutes.
Plaid councillor John Edwards said many other countries had electrified in the 1920s and 1930s and Wales was as now as bad, or worse, than some third world countries.
He added: "Labour had 13 years to do something and they did nothing at all."
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government will keep electrification to Swansea under review, but it currently believes the move would not be cost effective.
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