English Version - Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

Connect The community magazine for Blaenau Gwent
Winter 2009
Winter 2009
The community magazine for Blaenau Gwent
Connect
Railway reaches ‘magic million’
ahead of schedule
Ebbw Valley railway – the only passenger rail
building project in the UK to be led by a local
authority – has carried a million passengers.
The railway project partners – led by your Council – are
celebrating the success of the new Ebbw Vale to Cardiff service.
Only 20 months down the line
from the opening last year, the
new £30 million plus railway has
carried a million passengers.
That’s around 50,000 passengers
every month.
News that the railway has reached
the ‘magic million’ mark has been
welcomed by many – including the
Welsh Assembly Government and
train operator Arriva Wales.
Some are calling the Ebbw Valley
Railway the people’s line because
of the huge support from across
Blaenau Gwent over many years
for the campaign to have it rebuilt.
Your Council is the only local
authority to lead on and deliver a
major railway project in the UK.
Funding came from sources
including the Welsh Assembly
Government and Europe. Deputy
First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones
AM – who travelled on the first
train to leave Ebbw Vale Parkway
– made the same trip again to
More A465 dualling
The next stage of the A465 Heads
of the Valleys dualling will be in
Blaenau Gwent.
A new five mile stretch of dual
carriageway road is to be built from
Tredegar to Brynmawr by 2014.
The Welsh Assembly Government
celebrate the railway’s success.
Des Hillman, Leader of Blaenau
Gwent Council, said: “After the
closure of the steelworks, local
people showed typical Blaenau
Gwent spirit and began the work
of regeneration.
“Calling for the railway to be rebuilt
was part of this.
“The news that the railway is
such a success is a boost for
our confidence. And it has
already strengthened our hand
in bidding for more Heads of the
Valleys programme funding and
investment.
“We have an ambitious and
exciting vision to regenerate our
county borough – now we must
all work together to seize the
opportunity to win the investment
that can make it happen.
“Thanks are due to all our
partners for making this happen
and to the community for – quite
literally – getting on board!”
has announced the plan for
upwards of £50 million pounds
investment in the vital highway link.
Des Hillman, Leader of Blaenau
Gwent Council, said the roads
project is another important step in
the regeneration of the area.
New railway – the facts
Passenger trains run hourly
six days a week on the 18 mile
railway.
18,500 metres of new track was
laid.
Six new stations were built -
including Ebbw Vale Parkway
and Llanhilleth.
Engineering work brought the
line speed up to 50mph.
A double track passing loop
was laid between Risca and
Crosskeys.
State-of-the-art signalling was
installed.
Historic facts
The last freight train carrying
scrap from the steelworks ran in
October 2002.
The last passenger train on the
old line ran in 1962.
What you said...
Ebbw Valley Railway
47% of you have travelled on
the Ebbw Valley Railway since it
re-opened last year.
81% of you agree that the
railway has helped make
Blaenau Gwent a better place
to live and work.
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