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Monday 16 Dec 2013

Transport Minister opens new station in Caerphilly county borough

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Energlyn and Churchill Park, a new railway station in the Caerphilly county borough, was officially opened today by the Minister for Transport, Edwina Hart.

Network Rail held a ceremony this morning to mark the completion of the new European and Welsh Government funded £5.2m railway station, located within growing communities just north of Caerphilly town. Work began on the development of the station – situated between Aber and Llanbradach on the Rhymney Valley line – in early summer and the station opened to the public last week.

Mrs Hart said: “This new station will help meet the growing demand for rail services in this area. We want to see more people use the train to access jobs and services. Our investment here and in other stations across Wales is evidence of our commitment to improving rail services and reducing reliance on the car.”

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, Energlyn and Churchill Park station was delivered by Network Rail, working in partnership with its principle contractors Morgan Sindall and Colas Rail.

The station incorporates two six-carriage length platforms and step-free access as well as a small car park, (with disabled spaces included), CCTV, waiting shelters, ticket machines and a bicycle storage area. Passengers using the facility will benefit from direct rail access to and from Cardiff, and Rhymney-bound services. Now open, the station is operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “More and more people now choose to travel by rail to get to and from work and to access leisure activities. The new station will ultimately have significant economic and social benefits for those living in the growing communities in the north Caerphilly area by improving access to jobs, education and training opportunities in Cardiff and elsewhere along the line.”

At the event, Network Rail was joined by several members of Caerphilly County Borough Council including the leader of the Council, Councillor Harry Andrews and cabinet member for Highways, Transportation and Engineering, Councillor Tom Williams, as well as other local representatives, including Jeff Cuthbert AM. Several members of the organisations involved in the station design and construction, including Arriva Trains Wales, Sewta (South East Wales Transport Authority), Morgan Sindall and Colas Rail were also present.

Cllr Tom Williams said: “This station is a huge step forward for the residents of and visitors to Caerphilly county borough and it’s exciting to see it up and running. The county borough has seen a steady increase in passenger demand in recent years and a new station will cater for the growing communities just north of Caerphilly town – it’s a significant development for the area and one that is very welcome.”

The work at the station is part of a wider £220m scheme to better the railway in Cardiff and the Valleys by 2015. Improvements will be undertaken at Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street as well as the renewal of the signalling in South Wales between the Severn Tunnel and Llanelli. To provide extra capacity for services to Cardiff, additional platforms are also being constructed at a number of stations across the Cardiff and Valleys’ rail network, including at Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and Tir-Phil.

Mr Langman added: “Cardiff has the largest travelling workforce in Wales with around 37% of the all workers commuting from neighbouring authorities, in particular, from the Valleys. A large number of that workforce relies on rail and usage is expected to significantly increase each year, adding further demand on an already-congested railway. A new station at Energlyn is part of a wider bank of works across South Wales that is essential in helping to cater for the extra demand from the region.”