Major revamp for Newport station
Construction work has started on an 11-month refurbishment of Newport railway station in South Wales in a bid to cater for an increase in passengers travelling to the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament.
The new 2,100sq m (22,604sq ft) station, which will be nearly twice the size of the existing site, has been designed by an architectural partnership between Atkins and Grimshaw to improve accessibility and safety, as well as being environmentally friendly. Jointly funded by Network Rail and the Welsh Assembly Government, the new station will be constructed by Middlesex-based company Galliford Try using the sustainable material ethylene tetra fluoro ethylene (ETFE), which was also used for the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Ieuan Wyn Jones, deputy first minister and minister for economy and transport, said: "This will be an important development as Newport prepares to welcome the Ryder Cup in 2010, when many people will be visiting here for the first time." The new station will feature two new terminals, an additional entrance for the northern side of the city, improved ticketing and information points and new retail outlets, as well as an expanded car park and extended fourth platform.