Some of us in Newport and Monmouthshire have long called for the existing railway stations in Newport and on the levels to be significantly upgraded as part of the process of creating a functioning South Wales metro.
We need far greater investment in public transport, with a much better integration and coordination of rail and bus networks and integrated tickets across all services – with the emphasis on sooner rather than later.
The one thing missing from the recommendations of the Burns Commission which included recommendations for new stations at Tredegar Park, Somerton, Llanwern and Magor was any reference to a new railway station to serve Caerleon and Ponthir.
Our City needs ground broken sooner rather than later to bring the new railway stations into being, to provide alternative means of getting around our city and elsewhere, and improved connectivity to Cardiff, Bristol and beyond.
The new stations are an absolute necessity, a railway station to serve Caerleon / Ponthir should have been included, as this would be a real asset to both communities.
The absence of a railway station to serve Caerleon and Ponthir shows an alarming if not acute lack of understanding of local transport issues, or at best a far to literal linear focus on the problems of the M4 or could have been simply a glaring oversight.
In this case it’s absence ensures that the residents of Caerleon / Ponthir have little choice but to drive to Newport, Cwmbran and beyond even to reach another railway station.
If the Labour in Wales government are serious about providing realistic and effective public transport for all parts of Newport and cutting congestion on the M4 and around our city then a railway station to serve Caerleon and Ponthir needs to be added to the consultation and the consultation needs be extended.
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