Two railway stations in the Machynlleth area are part of a new scheme to encourage people to walk and cycle on routes.

Upgraded bike storage facilities at railway stations in Machynlleth and Dovey Junction will be among the first to be completed in Wales.

As part of its station improvement vision, Transport for Wales will be creating hundreds of cycle storage spaces at 247 stations over the next few years.

Dovey Junction is set to have work carried out which will include the removal of an existing stand which will be replaced by a shelter and six new cycle storage spaces.

Transport for Wales will also upgrade existing cycle storage with a focus on making it more accessible and secure such as at Machynlleth Railway Station, which has recently had two new cycle storage spaces in addition to eight that were previously installed.

Matthew Gilbert, Transport for Wales’s active travel lead, said: “The delivery of active travel facilities is a key part of our station improvement vision and will support our plans to create a more integrated transport network in Wales.

“Our station improvement vision is an evolving programme – so far we’ve delivered active travel facilities at Llanelli, Abergavenny and Machynlleth, and the next scheduled active travel improvements are for Swansea, Bridgend, Dovey Junction and Wrexham General.

“The detail of longer-term future installations will be mapped out over the coming years as part of our overall plan to develop our stations.”

The impact of the current coronavirus crisis has also accelerated the need for more active travel facilities to encourage walking and cycling for key workers on core routes.

Lee Waters, Deputy Transport Minister, added: “We need to make journeys as seamless as possible – having excellent walking and cycling access and facilities is an important part of this. We continue to work towards a better integrated transport network and this is another step in the right direction.

“Coronavirus has seen more people cycling and I hope to see this maintained once we are able to loosen travel restrictions.”