A project to provide longer trains on the Maesteg line has been delayed in case great crested newts, a protected species, live at one of the line’s stations (link below.)
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/05/05/your-train-is-crowded-due-to-newts-on-the-line-91466-20863821/Work to extend platforms at stations between Maesteg and Cardiff was due to finish last month.
At Sarn station, contractors cannot start work until the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) gives the green light.
All the other stations are now long enough for trains of up to four coaches, but the platform at Sarn – built in 1992 – limits Maesteg trains to two coaches.
Commuters must now wait until June, at the earliest, for additional coaches on their trains. Arriva Trains Wales said railway regulations did not allow it to operate longer Maesteg trains before Sarn’s platform is extended by using just one door for Sarn passengers to alight.
Fay Robinson, of CCW, said the results of a survey to find out if newts lived at Sarn station had not yet been confirmed :
Great crested newts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and the habitats regulations. Before work that will affect great crested newts can take place at a site, developers must gain a licence from the Welsh Assembly Government which involves surveys and a suitable mitigation strategy for the newts being agreed.
