Press releases

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

More used to writing timetables, devising marketing plans and planning service schedules behind a desk, the team of managers from Arriva 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 and replaced with compost to enable bulbs and other plants to be planted at the station during autumn 2006 and spring 2007. In taking on the project managers will trade places with station 'adopters' who help keep an eye on the company's unstaffed stations.

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

The Arriva team have been inspired by volunteer station adopters who, as well as letting their local station manager know if there are any issues to be addressed, have introduced flowers and artwork on station platforms across Wales.

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

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

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

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

Station adopters carry out regular spot checks relating to the tidiness and cleanliness of the station, in addition to those already undertaken by Arriva Trains Wales. Any issues that may need addressing are then passed on to the local station manager. In return, adopters are offered travel vouchers for use on the Arriva Trains Wales network.

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

Notes to editors:

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