Work has started on the new station which will create a direct rail link to Cardiff International Airport. escape... reports

THE re-opening of the Vale of Glamorgan line and the opening of Rhoose station is to cost in the region of £17m and is possible because of funding from the National Assembly.

It is hoped that the first rail services will travel to the airport as early as spring next year.

Initial rail services will link the airport directly with both Bridgend and Cardiff Central stations as part of the All Wales Franchise operated by Arriva Trains.

The hope is that the new service will encourage people from further afield, who would not normally consider travelling to Cardiff, to use the airport.

The project includes building new stations at Rhoose and Llantwit Major, together with a new platform at Bridgend.

The track will be upgraded to allow trains to travel at higher speeds than the existing track allows and additional signalling will be provided to increase capacity of the route.

Cardiff International Airport is promoting the concept of extending other Cardiff-terminating trains to the airport, including the hourly London Paddington service.

The Government's White Paper on Aviation confirmed Cardiff International Airport as Wales' principal airport.

It was the United Kingdom's second-fastest growing airport in 2003, handling more than 1.9 million passengers in the year.

Exceptional growth in passengers from Air Wales and bmibaby contributed to the airport's performance.

bmibaby carried its one millionth passenger in June this year, after a little over 18 months operating from Cardiff.

The airport's existing transatlantic charter services to Orlando and Toronto have been added to this year by Swansea-based Travel City's Boeing 747 flights to Orlando.