A NEW motorway link to Severn Tunnel Junction railway station is among proposals intended to improve passenger access to the site.

The station, in the Monmouthshire village of Rogiet, is used by approximately 230,000 passengers a year - but access is generally limited.

A new report highlights the lack of bus services to Severn Tunnel Junction and notes there is poor access for safe walking and cycling, as well as no bike storage. Vehicle access, meanwhile, is "constrained by the narrow width of and parking arrangements on Station Road".

Proposals to improve accessibility at the station form part of the wider plans to reduce our region's reliance on cars and develop what the South East Wales Transport Commission called a "network of alternatives".

That commission was set up in the wake of the Welsh Government's decision to scrap the M4 relief road, to find other ways transport could be improved and congestion alleviated on the motorway around Newport.

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The group set up to develop the commission's vision said the proposals said Severn Tunnel Junction had been "identified as a suitable location to become a rail-based Park and Ride hub, allowing users to easily arrive by bus, bike, on foot or park their car to access rail services across the region".

Three options have been proposed, as part of the wider plans to build better transport connections in the region and promote greener travel.

Option 1 is a new access road to the station from the B4245 (the main road through Rogiet that connects the village to Caldicot and M4 Junction 23A). This would be combined with improvement works in Station Road to enhance cycling and walking options.

This option could improve journey times to the station, although problems like pinch points and on-street parking near the station may continue.

Option 2 would see the same access road built and also extended northwards to the M48, with a new slip road added to the motorway in one- or both directions.

The report notes the high costs associated with this option and its "impact on [the] existing landscape".

Option 3 would focus on altering the station layout and adding in more space for pedestrians, for bike storage and for buses to stop and turn around. Park and ride spaces and a drop off/pick up zone would be provided, but no new access roads would be built.

The three proposals have now been put out for public consultation. To view the full plans and have your say, visit gov.wales/severn-tunnel-junction-access

Meanwhile, Monmouthshire County Council is expected to decide on separate proposals for a new car park at Severn Tunnel Junction station.

The public consultation for the new Severn Tunnel Junction proposals ends on March 11.