Bureaucratic delays push back the opening of Pontypool’s new car park, part of a £7.1M train station revamp.
Remember the £7.1 million revamp at Pontypool and New Inn? The project included a new car park and station upgrades. Construction started back in March 2022. Opening might not happen until the third anniversary.
Torfaen Borough Council feels hopeful now. They shared they expect the car park to open very soon. This could happen within just a few weeks.
Funding came from the council, Welsh Government, and Cardiff City Region. The project should have been a South Wales Metro initiative. They built a 140-space park-and-ride lot by the A4042.
The goal: make Cardiff trips easier from Pontypool. This also would help local people get to where they need to go. Less traffic would be on the roads in the region
Bureaucratic delays have plagued this project, causing setbacks. The original opening was planned for summer 2023. It looks like more delays keep on happening for this important project.
Anthony Hunt told council members about the station delays. He said it should be “fully operational” by “early 2025”. He knew council officials had been saving extra expenses.
The council hoped for a January car park opening. It’s still coned off in February, near the A4042. Drivers needing trains can’t use it yet. The station itself has stayed open so far.
The project was supposed to finish in summer 2024. Extra autumn work further delayed the project. They had to fix and resurface the platform. The local authority said it addressed “historical issues”.
A new footbridge came in March, near the start of the issue. Work continued into early autumn that year. Original opening was supposed to happen summer 2023.
Monmouthshire councillors heard info in December 2023. The station, near the border, might open after May 2024. Some project completion was visible, though.
Christian Scmidt shared his understanding back in December 2023. He manages passenger transport planning for Monmouthshire. Necessary permissions were still outstanding for the station.
He spoke about signing-off issues with the new features. Some last-minute changes needed approval, he said. “The place can’t open until that has been done.”
Torfaen Council said Network Rail checked for safety. The Office of Rail and Road “engaged” with the council. But they didn’t have the needed information for approval.
Michele Mitchell said “governance” took weeks too long. She is a roads and transport officer for Torfaen council. They finally gave the required information, though.
She shared they sent all documents that were needed. They expect notice that the car park should open. Hopefully, this all clears up in a few weeks.
Remember the £7.1 million revamp at Pontypool and New Inn? The project included a new car park and station upgrades. Construction started back in March 2022, and opening might not happen until the third anniversary.
Torfaen Borough Council feels hopeful now and shared they expect the car park to open very soon, possibly within just a few weeks. Funding came from the council, Welsh Government, and Cardiff City Region.
The project should have been a South Wales Metro initiative and included building a 140-space park-and-ride lot by the A4042. The goal was to make Cardiff trips easier from Pontypool and also help local people get to where they need to go, reducing traffic in the region.
Bureaucratic delays have plagued this project, causing setbacks. The original opening was planned for summer 2023, and it looks like more delays keep happening for this important project. Anthony Hunt told council members about the station delays, saying it should be “fully operational” by “early 2025”. He knew council officials had been saving extra expenses.
The council hoped for a January car park opening, but it’s still coned off in February near the A4042. Drivers needing trains can’t use it yet, though the station itself has stayed open so far. The project was supposed to finish in summer 2024.
Extra autumn work further delayed the project, with fixes and resurfacing of the platform. The local authority said it addressed “historical issues”. A new footbridge came in March, near the start of the issue, and work continued into early autumn that year.
Monmouthshire councillors heard in December 2023 that the station, near the border, might open after May 2024, though some project completion was visible. Christian Scmidt, who manages passenger transport planning for Monmouthshire, shared his understanding back in December 2023 that necessary permissions were still outstanding for the station.
He spoke about signing-off issues with the new features and said some last-minute changes needed approval. “The place can’t open until that has been done.”
Torfaen Council said Network Rail checked for safety, and the Office of Rail and Road “engaged” with the council, but they didn’t have the needed information for approval. Michele Mitchell, a roads and transport officer for Torfaen council, said “governance” took weeks too long, though they finally gave the required information.
She shared they sent all documents that were needed. They expect notice that the car park should open, hopefully resolving all issues in a few weeks.