Porth Station Park And Ride Now Open
Transport users in the Rhondda area are now reaping the benefit of over £1.8m investment as the Porth Park and Ride project is officially opened.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council was granted funding from the Welsh Government’s Cardiff Capital Region Metro project to construct the new facility in Porth, which now provides 73 park and ride spaces.
The project has also seen new street lighting and signage installed along with improved disabled access, cycle parking and new access to the station, which has helped to ease parking demand in the surrounding residential streets.
The Porth Station Park & Ride Scheme which was successfully completed this summer, was today (September 22) officially opened in the presence of Ken Skates, AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and Rhondda Cynon Taf Councillor Mark Norris Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and guests.
The aim of the scheme was to attract car users from the wide surrounding catchment and enable them to use the train for the main part of their journey to their final destination, particularly avoiding the congested routes, such as the A4054 into Pontypridd and the A470 into Cardiff. The facility has already made a big difference to commuters, with lots of positive feedback received.
The new facility has improved the area’s transport infrastructure, by encouraging more people to use public transport, which will in turn deliver more sustainable access to jobs and services.
Cllr Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways said:
“I am pleased to see this vital scheme completed. This rail investment at Porth Station, coupled with the Metro Project investment secured to improve public transport infrastructure across Rhonda Cynon Taf, will see millions of pounds invested when combined with previous grant funding received and capital investments made already.
“It is crucially important to the local economy that residents in Rhondda Cynon Taf and visitors to the area can get to and from work, visit tourist attractions and carry out day to day travel as easily as possible.
“The scale of the investment and range of the works we are delivering across the County Borough is significant; the Porth Park and Ride project is part of the overall investment in transport we are making throughout RCT with works also taking place in Cynon and Taff areas.
“I am keen we continue this significant investment in transport alongside the further investment we can expect in the valleys through the Metro project.
“In the current financial climate we continue to show ambition to improve the infrastructure that sustains our communities and businesses and attracts new investment. We will continue to seek to maximise available grants and funding streams and add further value with our own capital investments.
“This investment, which forms part of the Council’s £23m three-year RCTinvest scheme, will clearly help with this and will also help to reduce congestion on the roads by virtue of it being made easier to travel by train to Pontypridd and beyond.”
Ken Skates said: “I’m delighted to officially open this park and ride facility today. This is a significant project for Porth and the surrounding area, making rail transport an appealing option for passengers who until now may not have considered it viable.
“200,000 passengers pass through this station every year and this work, as part of our Metro programme for South Wales, will help facilitate and encourage more people to use public transport as part of their journey, and deliver more sustainable access to employment and services.”
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