21/03/2016 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today.

Our top stories -

The new secretary of state for Wales Alun Cairns

on his first day.

Those splits in the cabinet and what's in his in-tray

and its the main railway link into south and west Wales -

but in September - the Severn Tunnel will shut.

Good evening.

The new Secretary of State for Wales says he wants to prioritise

the North Wales economy.

Alun Cairns said he would hold a summit next week

to look at ways of driving forward investment with a "growth deal"

for the region.

Mr Cairns replaced Stephen Crabb - who is the new

Work and Pensions Secretary following the shock resignation

of Iain Duncan Smith.

Here's our parliamentary correspondent, David Cornock.

For the Welsh Conservatives, it's the best of times,

the worst of times.

Promotion for Stephen Crabb and Alun Cairns, their party

at civil war over Europe and the budget.

As the Downing Street door closed for Iain Duncan Smith and opened

this morning for Alun Cairns.

Stephen Crabb's deputy since 2014.

He inherits the top job at the Wales Office and the task

of steering the next stage of Welsh devolution into law.

How will you do the job differently?

I plan to follow the pragmatic approach that Stephen Crabb followed

as Secretary of State.

I think that worked well, both in his relationship

with the Welsh government but also in relationship with the business

sector, local authorities, communities across Wales.

I want to be a pragmatic secretary of state.

So who is Alun Cairns?

The new Secretary of State grew up in the Swansea Valley and began

working life in a bank.

He was one of the original assembly members in 1999.

His Westminster career was almost over before it began.

He was suspended as a candidate after

making a derogatory comment about Italians.

He apologised and was elected

MP for the Vale of mid Glamorgan in 2010.

A regular runner, he was the fastest MP

in the London Marathon two years ago.

Labour say, he can run but he can't hide.

He needs to make up for lost time because we need a Wales Bill

which is effective.

We have had no end of delay on it and we'd

like to see something that makes it much clearer what Welsh government

can do and what powers are reserved up here.

Alun Cairns has also lined up alongside Stephen Crabb

for the Parliamentary rugby team.

Mr Crabb will need all of his rugby skills to tackle his new job.

Having met staff at the DWP this morning he faced MPs

to tell them that the controversial cuts to independent payments

for disabled people won't now be going ahead.

In his new job, Mr Crabb will recognise a familiar,

if not friendly, face.

His Labour shadow is once again MP for Pontypridd.

These two nation Tories decided to cut

benefits from people because they didn't think

they would vote for them.

It was extraordinary, it was shameful.

The new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will have

a hell of a job on his hands to wash that stain out.

It's good to renew the relationship with him.

It was culminated happily for me on May the 7th last year when he had

to crawl out and explain why the Labour Party

had lost Cardiff North, Vale of Clywd and the Gower.

Back at the Wales Office that Mr Crabb has left

behind, there's another change with the Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb

taking the junior minister's role vacated by Alun Cairns.

The steelworkers' union Community has met the head of Tata steel

in Europe to discuss the future of Port Talbot.

What's been described as an urgent meeting -

comes amid reports that - Tata could reject a plan

to save the steelworks.

The company's board is set to meet in India next week to decide

the future of the plant.

The one time managing director of a bus company has been told

to expect a jail sentence - after being found guilty

of defrauding the Welsh Government's flagship bus-pass scheme of half

a million pounds.

John Hulme doctored the books to make it appear that -

Padarn Bus Limited - which operated from

Llanberis in Gwynedd - was carrying thousands more

concessionary passengers that it really was.

The Severn Tunnel - the main rail link between

South Wales and the rest of the UK - will be closed for six weeks

from September - delaying journeys across the border.

It's to prepare it for rail electrification.

Passengers will be diverted or will have to use

rail replacement busses.

Jordan Davies reports.

Travelling into the Severn Tunnel is a bit like travelling

back in time.

It was built for the age of steam.

It's now about to see electrification.

For months, this orange army have been busy preparing

the tunnel.

This vast machine has drilled thousands of holes in the room.

Two kilometres in and a team is picking up

where the machine left off.

This is precision engineering,

ahead of what has been called a key milestone this September.

A four-mile long rail will run along the roof of the Severn Tunnel,

it will provide the power for the electrified trains.

Another cable will run alongside it to provide back-up power.

That work will take time.

Closing the tunnel for a month and a half from September.

Network Rail bosses say electrification will speed up

journey times and that this is the most efficient way to get

the work done.

It would take our engineers approximately four years to complete

the work if they only worked at weekends.

That would have a significant impact on passenger

disruption and would also delay the electrification programme.

During the closure, passengers travelling

from South Wales to London would be diverted via Gloucester adding up

to 40 minutes to the journey.

Passengers travelling to Bristol will have to use rail replacement

buses, also adding 40 minutes to the journey.

People are advised to check train operator websites

for specific routes.

If you've got a 9am start, that would be an hour

earlier you'd have to get up.

So not ideal.

Any upgrade in the rail service would be fantastic.

But of course the disruption is going to cause

some real issues.

The passenger watchdog Passenger Focus says the closure

could cause massive disruption and it will be watching

for unnecessary delays.

We are planning things and we look at every eventuality.

So that the people will not be inconvenienced more

than is absolutely necessary.

So this tunnel will be closed for nearly a month

and a half for work to speed up and improve the journey through it.

But it will mean disruption for commuters and rail users coming

across the border from this September.

The Wales Green Party has pledged a "fairer economy and vibrant

communities" - as it launched its Assembly election campaign.

The party's leader - Alice Hooker-Stroud -

also said no Welsh student studying in Wales

would pay tuition fees under them.

The Green Party is hoping to win a seat in the Assembly

for the first time in May.

A new lifeguard service is being launched

at Three Cliffs Bay on Gower -

following two drownings there last year.

It will see the RNLI, landowners and the National Trust

working together.

There's a change on the way weather wise Derek's got the forecast.

This March has been to driest month in Wales since last October.

There is more try whether to come this

week but with some rain on the way on Thursday.

Try tonight, fairly cloudy, but some breaks in the cloud.

Not as cold as last night but a slight frost is likely in some

places with temperatures close to freezing.

Chilly start tomorrow morning.

There will be cloud but some breaks so it will be bright in places

with a little sunshine.

Across the rest of the UK, a few spots of rain in the North West

of Scotland, elsewhere most places dry,

fairly cloudy in the West, the best of the sunny spells

in the East and the highest temperatures in the East.

11 Celsius in Norwich, eight in Belfast.

Close to home, try again tomorrow afternoon, fairly cloudy

but hopefully a little sunshine in places.

Temperatures not that high 8-10dC with hardly a breath of wind.

Into Wednesday, more dry weather, just the odd light shower with even

more dry weather.

Variable cloud but sunny intervals.

Thursday, things start to change.

The weather will come in from the frantic again and these

fronts will bring us all some rain on Thursday with winds picking

up as well.

Beyond that, Good Friday is dry with some sunshine but not

set to last.

Over the Easter weekend, changeable.

Rain and showers at times, wind a feature as well.

There will be some drier and brighter interludes with even

a little sunshine.

That's all from me.

You can keep up-to-date with the forecast on our website

and you can follow me on Twitter.

We're back with the latest news and sport, traffic updates

and weather in Breakfast from six tomorrow morning.

That's Wales Today thank you for watching from all of us

on the programme, good night.