Futuristic £7.5m plan for Port Talbot Parkway station
Plans for a £7.5m futuristic revamp of Port Talbot Parkway train station are set to go before the Welsh government.
Neath Port Talbot council, Arriva Trains Wales and Network Rail will submit a joint bid in for European funding in December through the government's station improvement programme. It is hoped work, which would take 18 months, will start next autumn. About 500,000 passengers use the station every year. "Improvements to Port Talbot Parkway have been needed for a long time, especially for disabled people," said Ali Thomas, leader of Neath Port Talbot council. "It will greatly enhance the gateway to the town centre and I look forward to seeing work start. "Together with the Harbour Way link road, proposals for the development of the docks and the improvements to lower Station Road, the whole area will be most impressive. "I'm sure when this project is completed it will be well worth the wait and will make a massive improvement to the town." The station last underwent major refurbishment works in the 1960s and consisted of an island platform. Step-free access In the 1980s, it was designated as a Parkway when the old goods shed and yard were converted to a large car park. Under the new design by BDP, the station will have an enclosed footbridge, and lifts providing step-free access to the platform will be installed. There will also be a new ticket office and waiting areas as well as a cafe and retail area, new toilets and improvements to customer information and CCTV. The development includes a 200-space car park with a park and ride for commuters, along with improved facilities for cyclists, bus passengers and taxis. The council is in talks with Port Talbot-based Tata Steel over providing the 90 tonnes of steel needed to construct the framework. ''We're delighted to be able to support this project, which should give a boost to the whole town," said Jon Ferriman, director of Tata Steel. "We continually seek to support our local communities in many ways through events, school activities and environmental projects. "This investment in Port Talbot's Parkway station is a great opportunity to support a high profile project with our own material, steel."