NEW PLATFORM FOR NEWPORT STATION

Thursday 28 Jun 2007

NEW PLATFORM FOR NEWPORT STATION

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Wales & Western

Newport Station's newly-extended platform was officially opened today by Dr Brian Gibbons, Minister for the Economy & Transport. The extension to this platform is part of Network Rail's wider investment to improve train performance and make services more reliable between South Wales and London Paddington over the next few years. The £5.5 million platform 4 has been funded by Network Rail to improve train travel to and from Newport towards Cardiff and London. Robbie Burns, Network Rail's Western Route Director, said: "As part of our wider investment in the railway in Wales, we are really pleased to have led this project. The new platform will ease congestion and passengers will see an improvement in the reliability of trains passing through the station." Robbie Burns and Dr Brian Gibbons arrived at Newport Station on Network Rail's New Measurement Train (NMT), the first train to use the newly-extended platform. The NMT is designed for assessing the condition of the track throughout the UK. Dr Brian Gibbons, Minister for the Economy and Transport said: "Network Rail’s investment in extending Platform 4 and improving the station facilities is good news for commuters using this line. The extended platform will accommodate longer trains, improving train capacity and easing congestion at peak times. "This work will also improve passenger facilities and is the first step towards a wider improvement programme for Newport Station which is due to be completed prior to the Ryder cup in 2010." As part of the £5.5 million project, passengers will now benefit from new waiting facilities, state-of-the-art information systems, modern security systems and improved lighting, on Platform 4. Mike Bagshaw, Commercial Director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: "Newport is a busy station and an important interchange. This investment in an additional platform will improve reliability of services by easing congestion for trains coming into the station."

Notes to editors

The new platform will come into public use on Monday 2 July. Part of the project involved moving a freight depot adjacent to Newport Station to Alexandra Dock Junction.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre