Residents have had to make do in all weathers with the town's bus service, cadging lifts and the expensive option of a taxi ride.

Colin Evans: 'Good news for town'

The nearest railway stations are at Rhymney and Newport and the long absence of a rail passenger service has not helped the town's fortunes.

The announcement by Corus on 1 February 2001 that Ebbw Vale tinplate works would close meant the loss of 780 steel jobs and dealt a body blow to the town.

A number of ex-steelworkers hit by the last round of huge job cuts in the early Eighties moved away for work.

But it is hoped the railway upgrade will provide younger people with the opportunities to find work in Newport and along the M4 corridor.

The town deserves a decent rail link

The Ebbw Vale Garden Festival in 1992 - built on part of the old rail sidings - was seen by many as a lost opportunity to provide the town with a proper railway station.

Residents believe the �15m facelift of the freight line - led by the Welsh Assembly - should focus on ensuring the rail head reaches the heart of the town, not just the festival site.

At Ebbw Vale ex-servicemen's club, regulars were generally enthusiastic about the benefits of a rail upgrade for the town.

Plasterer Colin Evans, 44, said: "It will help people get out of the Valley and get to Newport and Cardiff to work.

"I think it will be money well spent.

Alan Tovey: 'Helpful to people without a car'

"I cannot really see anything coming in place of the steelworks, so this news is a step in the right direction."

Retired steelworker Alan Tovey, 54, said: "I cannot see the line bringing employment into the area.

"But it will mean that people without transport can travel.

"The freight line comes up to the bottom of the hill, so I think the station has to go there."

Terry Davies said the rail development should have taken place 30 years ago, when the town's fortunes were brighter.

Paul Taylor: 'Brilliant idea'

"Bringing the line up to scratch for passenger services means more money being spent on safety," he said.

"When the plant shuts, the hierarchy at the council will probably knock it down and build housing there, so the line will become a proper commuter service.

Shop worker Paul Davies, 31, also believed the Garden Festival was a lost opportunity.

"I think this is a brilliant idea. It will certainly help people with the works closing."

One woman, who did not want to be named, recently had to turn down a job in Newport, as she could not reach the town.