Major redevelopment at Barry Dock station
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is on track to deliver a major
redevelopment at Barry Dock Station.
The £840,000 project, which is being funded by a Welsh Assembly
Government Transport Grant, will include a new canopy and
enclosure, windbreaks, seating, platform surfacing, lighting,
drainage, CCTV and the installation of real time information.
It is expected that the improvements, which follow detailed
negotiations with Network Rail and Arriva Trains, will lead to many
more people using the station. Upon completion of the remainder of
the Barry Waterfront, the station is likely to operate as the main
station for businesses and residents in the area and, subject to
funding, might form the basis of a larger integrated transport
proposal.
The current surfacing, lighting and facilities are in a very
poor state of repair, and Council Leader Cllr Margaret Alexander
said: "We all want to see the station, which serves a wide
community, being used to its full potential, and these improvements
will help passengers feel safer and more secure.
"The new facility, when it is completed in August, will make a
major difference for commuters and for the town.
"This project is a very good example of a partnership approach
to improving public transport facilities, and I am grateful to
Network Rail, Arriva Trains, the South East Wales Transport
Alliance and the Welsh Assembly for their contributions to this
important project."
Councillor Tom Williams, Chair of the South East Wales Transport
Alliance (Sewta) said: "This is partnership working in practice.
Together with the Welsh Assembly Government, Arriva Trains Wales,
Network Rail and Vale of Glamorgan Council, this shows our
commitment to the continuing development of the rail network in
south east Wales – a network which represents an invaluable and
underdeveloped asset."
Cllr Williams added: "This rail project is the fourth major step
forward recently (following the £18m Merthyr to Pontypridd project,
the start of construction of Llanharan station and the South Wales
platform extensions) in the delivery of our five-year rail
improvement programme and longer term rail strategy. Together they
are designed to make public transport the mode of choice for many
travellers, reducing congestion on our overcrowded roads, reducing
climate change gases and improving access for all. Our recently
published Outline Regional Transport Plan can be seen on our
website www.sewta.gov.uk and we welcome
comments."
Charlie Nelson, Deputy Chair of the Sewta Rail Group, said: "In
parallel with the service capacity changes, which Sewta is
introducing in conjunction with Network Rail and Arriva Trains
Wales, there is a need to improve the attractiveness of rail
stations if continued rail passenger growth is to be sustained.
Schemes like the redevelopment of Barry Dock Station, which address
the overall travel experience, have a major role to play as
together we work to affect modal shift."
Caption (from left to right): Peter Curtis
(Sewta), Cllr Margaret Alexander (Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan
Council), Vale AM Jane Hutt, Cllr Neil Moore (Deputy Leader of the
Vale of Glamorgan Council), Bev Jones (Arriva Trains), John Dent
(Vale Council's Major Projects Manager), Mark Lang (from Jane
Hutt's office), Alan Lindsey (Site Manager), Andy Lynn (Birse Rail
Regional Manager), and Jerry Williams (Arriva).