THE fight to reopen the Ebbw Vale to Newport rail link in 2005 is finally on track with transport chiefs revealing a new plan to end the delay.

The Argus' Get Us Back on Track campaign is calling for the mile-long track to reopen in 2005 - the same time as the line to Cardiff - instead of the planned date of 2008.

Rail chiefs insisted this was impossible because of signalling problems. But Newport's transport chief, Graham Dally, now says this "a red herring".

"The problems with the signal at Pye Corner were a red herring," he told the Argus.

"The number of trains that go up and down that line is the problem - and we can overcome this by opening up platform four (at Newport railway station). The link will be open before 2008."

Newport City Council's head of engineering and construction, Brian Kemp, said discussions were ongoing with Network Rail about changes to Newport station, so the projected 2008 opening date could be brought forward.

He said the opening date could now be close to that of the Ebbw Vale Cardiff line in 2005. "It involves extending the length of platform four and changing some of the line arrangements at Newport station so the trains would run into platform four and reverse straight out again to return to Ebbw Vale," he said.

"There are still a number of hurdles but it now looks as though it could be feasible.

"We have been working madly in the background to bring the Newport line forward but it seems as though there is light at the end of the tunnel now." The exact cost of extending platform four is not yet known, but it could be funded as part of the rail scheme.

Newport councillors have always supported the fight to reopen the line before 2008. In March they agreed only to co-operate in the joint project if services came to the city before Cardiff.

Peter Law, AM for Blaenau Gwent, Gwent, said: "I have never given up hope of both lines opening at the same time in 2005", adding that extending the platform was not a major job in comparison to the whole scheme.

Mr Law said some of the money for the extension could come from the fund for the railway. "We are still pursuing this with great vigour. This line is going to reopen."