Network Rail and Transport for Wales have completed a £7.5m investment at Swansea railway station, including the rebuilding of platform four.
The station opened 171 years ago and the latest investment is the biggest for over a decade.
Platform four has been rebuilt, and is now 260 metres in length, making it longer than two football pitches.
The new longer platform can accommodate 10 carriage intercity trains.
Other improvements have been made at Swansea railway station, including new signage and customer information screens.
A new cycle shelter can be found at the front of the station and the toilets have been refurbished.
Ticket buying facilities have been improved, along with the installation of LED lighting and more benches.
To build the new platform, 2,400 tonnes of demolition waste was removed from the site by construction contractors Alun Griffiths Ltd, with the steel and concrete being taken to recycling centres in Swansea, Bridgend and Llanelli.
Bill Kelly, Wales and Borders route director at Network Rail, said: “The completion of this brand-new platform is a part of our wider commitment to improve journeys and stations for our passengers across the Wales and Borders network. Working with Transport for Wales, our engineers and contractors have worked around the clock to deliver a transport hub which the city of Swansea can be proud of. We would like to thank the local community for their patience over the last few months while we delivered these improvements.”
TfW project manager Yasmin Browning said: “The work at Swansea station really has gone a long way to transforming the station for customers. Enhancements across the length and breadth of the station mean better customer access to information and more comfortable surroundings whilst waiting to depart. The extended Platform 4 not only looks great but will allow for more options bringing trains in and out of the station, helping deliver key capacity improvements. This project has shown how close collaboration with our Network Rail Partners can deliver for customers.”
GWR's Head of Customer Experience Samyutha Bala said: “We are delighted that work to extend Platform 4 has been completed and can now accommodate our 10-car Intercity Express Trains. This gives us greater flexibility at Swansea which will reduce delays and maintain a reliable service for our customers. This is particularly important as lockdown eases and both leisure and business travel increases. We work very closely with Network Rail Wales and Western and Transport for Wales and they have done a great job here, that will really make a difference for our customers.”
Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said: “I really welcome the investment Network Rail and Transport for Wales have made at Swansea Station. With space for bigger trains and upgraded facilities it is a real uplift for the city, which is currently undergoing a £1bn regeneration programme. Great transport links are an essential part of any thriving and ambitious city, and these improvements will make such a difference to people travelling to and from here.”
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Still electrification to Swansea should of be given the go ahead.