WORK on a major rail project, which will lead to increased services to Gowerton and on to West Wales, is due to be completed this weekend.
The £48 million project has involved the replacement of the Loughor viaduct and redoubling a stretch of line almost five and a half miles long, from Swansea through to Gowerton.
It has been carried out to meet a projected 20 per cent rise in the number of West Wales railway passengers by 2020.
Arriva Trains Wales says the move will lead to 14 additional services calling at Gowerton in each direction Monday to Saturday, and 11 on Sunday, with a new platform at the station.
Mark Langman, Network Rail route managing director, Wales, said: "The difficult and exciting task of replacing the Loughor Viaduct is now complete and progress with the redoubling of the five-mile stretch of line is going to plan.
"This new viaduct and redoubling of the railway through Gowerton will remove the current bottleneck created by the stretch of single line and provide capacity to run more trains in the future.
"This project joins a number of other rail improvement projects in South and West Wales that will help deliver better journeys and boost economic growth in the area. The new viaduct at Loughor and the redoubling, as well as the new station platform and footbridge at Gowerton, are part of a package of station and infrastructure improvements to make rail travel more comfortable and attractive to the public.
"As well as making it easier to travel to and from West Wales, they will help to boost local employment opportunities. I would like to thank people for their patience while we have worked to improve the viaduct and lay the second track."
The stretch of railway has been closed for the past two weeks while work is completed, and is due to reopen on Monday, with the new services due to be introduced on May 19.
In addition to the extra services at Gowerton, all single carriage train services will be doubled between Swansea, Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.
And a Cardiff to Swansea service will be extended to Llanelli in the afternoons with a new morning service between the two cities.
Mike Bagshaw, commercial director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: "These changes are good news for passengers in West Wales.
"Many passengers, including commuters and visitors to the area, will see real benefits from this package of changes. These improvements demonstrate Arriva Trains Wales's continued commitment to enhance services across Wales, making full use of Welsh Government's investment in new infrastructure and efficient use of our fleet of trains."
