NEWPORT is to get £4m for a new footbridge crossing the railway station, improvements to the bus station and for bus stops in the city.

The cash was announced by Transport Minister Edwina Hart today as part of a range of measures to boost transport across the 'Cardiff Capital Region'.

The new footbridge will link Devon Place with bus stops on the Queensway outside the railway station.

The £4m will be used for improvements to Newport bus station including toilets, retail outlets, information point and real time information.

The cash will also pay for the relocation of bus stops "closer to most passengers’ destinations and grouping services together to reduce journey times" according to a Welsh Government spokesman.

The Minister said: “This investment in bus infrastructure will increase the number of people using buses therefore boosting the income of operators, which is an important part of our strategy to create a sustainable bus industry in Wales.

She added that a "sustainable, integrated transport system for south east Wales is vital for its economic future and a key part of the Cardiff Capital Region concept."

Plans to build a footbridge to replace the subway connecting Devon Place and the Queensway have been mooted and dropped over the past few years.

Newport city council looked to have resurrected the idea in 2010 after earlier plans were dropped in 2008, but these were not followed through.

The Argus called the subway 'dangerous and frightening' after two sex attacks took place there in 2011.