A MAN who helped deliver large industrial projects for almost 50 years says preliminary work on the Ebbw Valley rail link should have already been carried out.

Newbridge man Colin Angel cut his teeth working for the National Coal Board and later worked on multi-million pound schemes all over the world as an electrical engineer and consultant for British Steel.

Mr Angel, 68, of Park Place, attended the first public exhibition of the rail link in January 2003 and was told the Cardiff link would open in 2005, the Newport link by 2009, at a total cost of £27.2 million.

We revealed last week how Wales economic development minister Andrew Davies said preliminary works including line inspections were due to start on the line within the next few months.

But Mr Angel said: "Any preliminary work needed to open this railway line by 2005 as promised should have been completed before the public exhibition.

"The railway line was already being used regularly to run freight up to the Ebbw Vale Corus site until it closed.

"If there were major issues to resolve, why did they publish a consultation document and exhibit it around Gwent in 2003, citing 2005 as the start date and what has the delay cost the taxpayer?

"If a delay like this had been incurred in industry somebody would be have been held to account."

But project chief Richard Crook, Blaenau Gwent's Head of Business Services and Community Regeneration said: "We've previously said the rail link would be finished earlier than we are saying now, but nobody has ever attempted what we are doing.

"This is the first time a railway line has ever been reopened by a third party.

"Converting this line from a freight line to a passenger service was not in Network Rail's programme but with their guidance, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Caerphilly councils and the Assembly embarked on building the line for regeneration purposes.

"If a contract is agreed by autumn 2005, the Cardiff link should be open a year later, then Newport by 2009."