City rail station to be revamped

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Plans to upgrade Swansea railway station are going on show for the first time.

It is part of a £150m programme backed by the Department of Transport to improve stations in Wales and England.

A larger concourse, a new booking office with extra ticket machines, toilets, shops and CCTV cameras are among the improvements.

Swansea council is backing the redevelopment as a further boost to the city's regeneration.

Council leader Chris Holley described it as "terrific news".

"The station serves as one of the key gateways into the city and it gives many people a first impression of Swansea.

"The work is vital in ensuring those impressions are positive," said Mr Holley.

The revamp is jointly led by Arriva Trains Wales, Network Rail and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Stations are the railways' shop-front and they have been ignored for far too long Chris Rayner, Network Rail

Chris Rayner, route director for Network Rail, said around £85m was being invested in improving stations across Wales by 2014.

"Stations are the railways' shop-front and they have been ignored for far too long," he said.

"The transformed station will serve as a catalyst for further growth in rail usage in Swansea, while helping to provide a much better environment for the city."

Ian Bullock, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: "The improvement work has been designed specifically to update and in some cases install new facilities, including a greater provision of service information, vending facilities, CCTV and an improvement of access all of which contribute to a station fit for the 21st Century."

The improvement work at Swansea station will be carried out in two key phases, with the improved concourse being completed first by 2011.

An exhibition of the plans is on show at the city's high street station.