Covering an area of approx 10,900 hectares and with a population of 73,000, Blaenau Gwent is divided into 16 political wards, represented by 42 elected members. Blaenau Gwent strives to provide its residents with high quality facilities offering opportunities for each person to improve their quality of life. The Council delivers a wide range of services including education, environmental services, social services, finance, highways, leisure services and consumer protection

Caerphilly County Borough Council is the 4th largest local authority in Wales. The Council delivers a wide range of services to the 171,000 people living in the County Borough area including education, environmental services, social services, finance, highways, leisure services and consumer protection.

The Assembly decides on its priorities and allocates the funds made available to it from the Treasury. Within its powers, the Assembly develops and implements policies which reflect the particular needs of the people of Wales. Decisions about these issues are made by politicians who are accountable, through the ballot box, to voters in Wales. The Assembly has powers to develop and implement policy within a range of areas including transport.

Network Rail is an engineering company formed to revitalise Britain’s railways. They maintain, improve and upgrade every aspect of the railway infrastructure, including:

• The track
  
  

• Signalling systems
  
  

• Bridges
  
  

• Viaducts
  
  

• Tunnels
  
  

• Level crossings
  
  

• Stations

Network Rail do not run the trains but their main customers are the freight and train operating companies

Arriva began operating the new integrated franchise in December 2003. The 15-year Arriva Trains Wales franchise provides inter-urban, rural and commuter passenger rail services throughout Wales and the border counties.

Newport City Council is a unitary authority formed in 1996 and is the 8th largest in Wales, providing all major services such as education, leisure, housing, social services, planning and highways. Newport’s population is 137,011.

The Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) is responsible for administering European Structural Funds in Wales, including Objective One funding.  WEFO’s aim is to make European Funds work efficiently and effectively for Wales.

WEFO is responsible for encouraging new projects, appraising and making decisions on applications, paying grants and ensuring that proper procedures are in place by those organisations in receipt of funds. It is also responsible for publicising the effect of the Funds in Wales. WEFO is part of the Welsh Assembly Government's Enterprise, Innovation and Networks Department.  

Capita Symonds is responsible for the overall project management, planning and technical development of the Ebbw Valley Railway scheme, assisted by a number of specialist consultants. The project is managed from the Cwmbran office (Capita Gwent Consultancy).

Capita Symonds offers a range of services including Project Management, Civil Engineering, Environmental, Regeneration/Remediation, PFI Procurement, Network Management and Transportation.

Sewta (South East Wales Transport Alliance) is a consortium established by the 10 local authorities in South East Wales to carry out their functions in respect of public transport (bus and rail) and other transport matters.   

     Sewta’s core aim is ‘to work for better coordinated and more effective transport for the people and businesses in SE Wales’.  Its’ main functions are to:  

• Prepare regional transportation strategies, plans and programmes 
  

• Seek funding to carry out those programmes 
  

• Action programmes resourced through that funding. 
  

• Respond to consultations having a regional and transportation dimension 
  

• Advise the councils on transportation issues.

Amey is one of the leading integrated support service providers in the country, providing the vital services that practically everyone, everywhere relies on to keep daily life running smoothly. Amey specialises in the outsourcing of holistic business solutions in the local government, transport, education, health and defence sectors.

Amey play a major role across the whole rail network as a key partner to Network Rail, supplying srvices that embrace the whole range of rail operations from engineering to project management. Amey is one of the leading track renewals contractors in the UK and has over 37,000 vehicles, plant and equipment.  They have also installed passenger information service provided on Southern Trains and keep 30 million passengers a year safe and informed at Birmingham New Street station via 117 customer information displays and 241 CCTV cameras.

Amey have been appointed for both the Ebbw Valley Railway design and build contracts and will therefore be responsible for the detailed design and construction of the stations, permanent way, signalling and structures.