Arriva managers roll up their sleeves to improve Grangetown station

Managers at Wales' main train company are rolling up theirsleeves this weekend to help give a Cardiff railway station amakeover.

More used to writing timetables, devising marketing plans andplanning service schedules behind a desk, the team of managers fromArriva Trains Wales will don overalls to provide a 'Ground Force'style makeover for Grangetown Station.

Four, 15 feet, concrete flower beds will be cleared of weeds andreplaced with compost to enable bulbs and other plants to beplanted at the station during autumn 2006 and spring 2007. Intaking on the project managers will trade places with station'adopters' who help keep an eye on the company's unstaffedstations.

The group will be working at Grangetown Railway Station tomorrow(Saturday 19 August 2006). Media opportunities will be available atthe station between 10.30am and 11am.

The Arriva team have been inspired by volunteer station adopterswho, as well as letting their local station manager know if thereare any issues to be addressed, have introduced flowers and artworkon station platforms across Wales.

At Grangetown Station, Geraint Morgan, who is coordinating theproject for Arriva Trains Wales, said:

Volunteer station adopters perform a really valuablejob for the company by acting as an extra pair of eyes and ears atour stations and many also take on personal projects to helpimprove their local station. We thought that we would get in on theact and take on a project of our own.

There is real potential to improve the appearance ofGrangetown Station and by having a 'Ground Force' style team dayit's a great way for us to play a hands-on role at one of ourstations.

Over half of the company's 190 unstaffed stations have beenadopted, and over 30 of which are on local Cardiff and CardiffValley routes. Station adopters include teenagers, a sprightly 85year old, a train buff, a psychiatrist, a pub landlord,Neighbourhood Watch, families, rail user groups and citycommuters.

Station adopters carry out regular spot checks relating to thetidiness and cleanliness of the station, in addition to thosealready undertaken by Arriva Trains Wales. Any issues that may needaddressing are then passed on to the local station manager. Inreturn, adopters are offered travel vouchers for use on the ArrivaTrains Wales network.

More information about the scheme can be obtained by callingArriva Trains Wales' customer relations team on 0845 6061 660 or byvisiting www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk.

Notes to editors:

• For background information on Arriva Trains Wales visitwww.arrivatrainswales.co.uk.