Sioned Williams, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West has called upon Transport for Wales to seek the views of the community on the future of Neath train station, following concerns that the current state of the station isn't satisfactory.
Sioned Williams, whose office is located between Neath Railway and Bus Stations, said:
“Despite being the sixth most used station in Wales with over half a million entries and exits, Neath Railway Station does not currently provide a warm welcome. The station itself looks run down and the vacant post office building near it can give people arriving in the town an unfair impression.
“Several businesses in the immediate vicinity have invested in trying to create an attractive and vibrant space, but there is only so much they can do.
“Train stations are gateways into our town and city centres. They are not just essential for the daily commute for workers throughout our country, but they act as local public transport hubs, community information points and help to create a sense of place.”
In 2018, funding was sought from the Welsh Government’s Targeted Regeneration Investment Programme to support the development of an integrated transport hub for Neath.
At the time council officers stated it was their hope that they would be able to achieve something similar to the Port Talbot Transport Hub – bringing rail, bus and taxi services together with active travel schemes in one place.
Sioned Williams added:
“I have previously written to Transport for Wales and Neath Port Talbot Council, and despite some examples of investment, there does not seem to be any comprehensive, public strategy for how this station and the surrounding area can be improved and progress is far too slow.
“I am now calling on Transport for Wales to work with local stakeholders, including the county borough council, town council, businesses, community groups and public transport users, to put together plan for the revitalisation of this station.”