The new platform will be 260 metres long, 13 metres longer than before, to allow GWR’s new Intercity express trains to stop there.
To make way for the new structure, Alun Griffiths removed 2,400 tonnes of demolition waste from the site. This has included:
- 22 concrete slabs that formed the surface of the platform
- 23 beams that supported the concrete platform slabs
- 23 columns that supported the beams
- The 150-metre long parapet wall that ran down the back of the platform.
The steel was taken to recycling centres in Swansea and Bridgend, while the concrete was taken to Griffiths’ own recycling centre in Llanelli.
The first phase of construction is nearly complete, with 71 concrete piles now in the ground to form the foundations of the new platform. Work has also started on the rebuilding of the two walls that run underneath the platform. Then a 42-tonne steel frame will be put in to support 179 concrete slabs to form the new platform surface. Finally, two waiting shelters, lighting and a public address system will be installed.
Swansea is one of the first stations to undergo work as part of the Transport for Wales (TfW) improvement programme.
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