A GIANT new car park at a train station that has stood empty and unused for more than a year is set to open in January.
The park and ride facility at Pontypool and New Inn Station has cost £7.1 million as part of redeveopment and Torfaen Borough Council, which has been responsible for the project, has said it is hoped it can open in January – which will be just two months short of three years since work started in March 2022.
The 140 space car park was announced in 2019 as one of the first projects on the proposed South Wales Metro system intended to revolutionise public transport across the region but despite an expectation it would open by summer 2023 it has remained fenced off.
A new footbridge, to allow commuters to access the platform from the 140 space car park, was installed in March 2023 and workmen left the site no later than autumn 2023 with work seemingly completed.
In December last year the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported it was expected the facility at the train station, which has remained in operation, would be ready around the middle of 2024 while Torfaen council, at that point said, it would be brought into service “as soon as practicably possible”.
It has now said the January opening is subject to approval from the UK Government’s Office of Rail and Road and will be opened by Network Rail which is responsible for tracks and infrastructure.
The council said remedial work to address “historical issues” with the platform has been completed with regrading and resurfacing of the platform carried out as part of the revamp and new park and ride facility.
Council leader Anthony Hunt told the full council’s December meeting it was expected the station would be fully operational by “early 2025” and the council has now issued a statement confirming January is the possible opening date.
Labour’s Councillor Hunt told the council he had been “hugely frustrated” by the delays but said officers had been working to save the council from additional costs.
The council release states: “The project was due to be completed in the summer, but the additional work delayed the opening.
“It is hoped the new facility will be opened by Network Rail next month, pending approval from the UK Government’s Office of Rail and Road.”
It quotes Cllr Hunt as saying: “This has been an exceptionally challenging project that has involved several organisations working together to create a new regional transport hub, as part of the South Wales Metro scheme.
“It’s great to see the development has reached the final stages and I look forward to it opening early next year.
“The new facility will not only benefit people who already use the station but will hopefully encourage others to use it as well. Increasing the number of people who use the station will mean we can lobby for more trains, which will be beneficial to commuters and those who want to travel more sustainably.”
The park and ride facility will include 11 accessible parking bays, three with EV charging points, 11 EV charging bays, 129 general use spaces, three drop off or taxi bays, one bus bay, six motorcycle bays and eight new secure bike spaces, in additional to the 20 existing bike spaces, with access from a new slip road off the A4042.
A new footbridge and lift will connect the park and ride area to the station.
Torfaen council has contributed £1.5m to the project, with £5.6m provided by the Welsh Government and Cardiff Capital Region. It will be one of the first Cardiff Capital Region Metro Plus schemes to be delivered, as part of plans to create a South Wales Metro system.
The original £3.5 million costs were supposed to be met from external sources but in February 2021 Torfaen Borough Council said it would have to stump up £1.5 million to ensure it could be delivered.