Work is set to start on building the new Merthyr Tydfil bus station in the next few months, the council has said.
Merthyr Tydfil Council has had formal confirmation through a letter from the Welsh Government of £10m funding for the project, which would see the station moved from its current site just off Castle Street to Swan Street in the town centre.
Economy and transport minister Ken Skates AM has approved the council’s Local Transport Fund application to start work on the station this year.
The funding is split over a two-year period, with £3.6m allocated in 2019-20 and £6.5m in 2020-21.
The council is now looking to award a contract to carry out the works with a view to starting on the project some time over the next few months.
The move was approved by councillors back in 2014 but there has been a delay as the council waited for confirmation of funding from Welsh Government.
The plan is that the new bus station will provide more of a linked up transport network in Merthyr and tie in with the development of the South Wales Metro.
The project is part of the town centre regeneration and will mean the current site can be redeveloped for retail as well.
Alyn Owen, the council’s chief officer for community regeneration, described the news as “exciting” and thanked the Welsh Government.
He said: “The council is also working with Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and the Valleys Taskforce on a master plan to ensure that the new bus and rail investments create an integrated transport solution as part of a new phase of regeneration for Merthyr Tydfil town centre and its wider communities.”
