Valley Lines
Region North Wales Mid Wales South Wales National Network Route Sections Gazetteer of Stations About Wales	Valley Lines was a marketing name for five principal routes radiating from Cardiff; two suburban services serving the north and west of the city; and a short spur serving Cardiff Bay. Since December 7 2003, like most rail services operating within Wales, Valley Lines is part of the Arriva group under the Arriva Trains Wales banner The four valley routes are (select links to move directly to details of individual routes, noting that the first four are described in the other section of this site): Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil which share the Taff corridor between Cardiff and Pontypridd; the Ebbw Vale and  Rhymney branches, and the coastal route to Penarth/Barry Island and to Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan branch. In Cardiff is the Coryton branch with stations in the northern suburbs, and City Line, which serves the western suburbs; while a short spur from Cardiff Queen Street station links with Cardiff Bay. Trevithick 1804-2004 February 21 2004 marked the 200th anniversary of the first steam train to run on rails. The historic journey began in Merthyr Tydfil, and throughout 2004, a series of commemorative events took place, which can be reviewed here. Search WalesRails .......... Message Board	Preserved: Standard gauge Narrow gauge WalesRails: The Grand Tour Official Websites What's New Back to Welcome page

Rhymney Valley, Cardiff and the coast
(Select here for the Rhondda, Aberdare and Merthyr Valleys, and Cardiff section)

Please note. The period of validity of the National Network timetables has changed.
 Any times and travel details given  apply only for the currency of the timetable valid from September 12 to December 10 2011.

The Valley Lines services operated by Arriva Trains Wales run over about 68 miles of track and serves 67 stations, many of which have Park and Ride facilities to encourage drivers to park their cars and not to drive into already congested town centres.
Over the last ten years or so, Valley Lines has worked in partnership with local authorities to revamp and expand the once run-down local rail network to become an essential element of business and leisure transport for the communities on its routes. Bus feeder services are used to link outlying villages with the railway at selected stations.

Trains operated by Valley Lines are in a distinctive red, white and green livery, and consist of six Class 150 Sprinter units and thirty Class 142/3 Pacers (left). The Sprinters carry views of tourist attractions and places of interest along the Valley Routes, while many of the Pacers carry nameplates, including one to Tom Jones, the swivel-hipped singer who was born at Pontypridd, near the Valley Lines station of that name.

The last of the fleet was refurbished in March 2003 and was named Myfanwy in a ceremony on March 17 (right). The nameplate was unveiled by seven-year-old Myfanwy Lewis and Mrs Valerie Bird, the latter having chosen the name in a newspaper competition. Myfanwy is the subject of one of Wales' most famous songs, which was composed by 19th century hymn-writer Joseph Parry, whose cottage can be visited about a mile from the station at Merthyr Tydfil, and whose grave is in the churchyard of St Augustine's on Penarth Head at the mouths of the Rivers Taff and Ely.

At Cardiff Central, Valley Lines connects with the national rail network, and services operated by Central Trains,  First Great Western Trains and Virgin Trains.

Fares
There is a simplified fare structure, with the routes divided into five zones (a sixth zone covers the route to Maesteg, west of the Valley Lines area). Single tickets are available before 9:00 on weekdays, while for same-day return travel Cheap Day tickets are available. Children under 5 travel free while those between 5 and 15 travel at a reduced rate.
In conjunction with local authorities and the Employment Agency, Arriva Trains Wales also offers reduced-rate travel on Valley Line services to unemployed jobseekers.
One of the best travel bargains available to all, however, is the Explorer ticket which allows unlimited travel on the Valley Lines network and feeder buses, as well as Stagecoach Rhondda and Stagecoach Red and White in the area. Ticket holders can also obtain discounts of up to 20% and free child places at many tourist attractions on the network. Explorer tickets cost £6 for adults, and £3 for children.

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Passenger trains last ran on the branch in 1966, but on February 6 2008 the line reopened with trains running to Cardiff. In the second phase of the opening, alternate trains will travel to Newport or Cardiff. Meanwhile, new intermediate stations will come on line over the coming months.
Since the closure the branch was not idle, seeing frequent steel and tinplate trains to the Works at Ebbw Vale. The tinplate works closed in 2001, and were dismantled leaving land ripe for redevelopment. It is at the southern end of this redevelopment that the terminus station on the branch has been built. Subsequently, the line will be extended further up the valley to a station closer to the centre of town. In the stations list below, station names enclosed in [square brackets] are those which have yet to be built.

The line was built by the Bute estate and opened in 1858, but the original route to Cardiff ran via present-day Aber to join the Taff Vale Railway's branch at Taff's Well. Any involvement with the fractious TVR was fraught with potential acrimony, and the Rhymney Railway's agreement was no exception. Taff Vale accusations that Rhymney Railway traffic received preferential treatment at Bute Docks were countered by a Rhymney Railway challenge to the surcharge which the Taff Vale placed on trains using the shared track.
The Rhymney Railway sought to open its own direct route into Cardiff, but cash flow problems resulting from the slower-than-anticipated development of the Upper Rhymney Valley coalfield, and, subsequently, the hitting of a hidden spring while driving a tunnel through the Caerphilly mountain, meant that it was not until 1871 that the new route opened and dependency on the TVR ceased.
A new bus/rail interchange was opened at Caerphilly on September 22 2000.

Stations on the branch

Stations on the branch (with journey times from Rhymney) are :
Pontlottyn (2 mins); Tir Phil (7); Brithdir (9); Bargoed (13); Gilfach Fargoed (16); Pengam (18); Hengoed (22); Ystrad Mynach (24); Llanbradach (30); Aber (35); Caerphilly (37); Lisvane and Thornhill (42); Llanishen (44); Heath High Level (46); and Cardiff Queen Street (50).

Places of interest

From Queen Street station the line heads north through the suburbs of Cathays and Roath. Shortly before
Heath High Level
is reached, trees at the northern edge of Roath Park can be seen on the right, while the suburb of Cyncoed rises from the shallow valley beyond.
From Heath High Level, the train travels high above the village over Three Arches viaduct beyond which there are extensive views of north-western Cardiff and, ahead, Caerphilly mountain through which the track will later tunnel.
Passing under a rusticated arched bridge, the train enters
Llanishen station, serving a mainly residential area
then on through a high cutting to
Lisvane and Thornhill
Close by is Cefn On park - famed for its in-season displays of rhododendron and azaleas - and Lisvane Tennis Club.
Soon, the train enters Caerphilly Tunnel, at just over a mile in length, the longest of the two tunnels on the Valley network (the other is at Cogan).
Emerging from the tunnel, the train track curves west to enter Caerphilly station.
Caerphilly...
...is famed throughout the world for its cheese and the imposing castle (pictured left) which dominates the northern part of the town. The castle is second only to Windsor as the largest in Europe. Started in the latter half of the 13th century, it is one of the best examples of the concentric castle style introduced to Britain by the returning Crusaders. Its inner and outer wards were further fortified by a moat and earthwork defences on an island in the lake which protects its western flank. Its most famous feature, the Leaning Tower - 80 ft high and 13 ft from the vertical - is believed to result from a gunpowder assault during the Civil War, though to which army the 'credit' should be given is uncertain.
Opposite the castle, is the new shopping precinct.
The station is part of the interchange which links the surrounding area to the railway from the bus station. Cheese-making has recently return to the town after an absence of several decades.
From Caerphilly the track again heads northward first to
Aber
where a side valley leads to Senghenydd, the scene of the British coalfield's greatest disaster in 1913 when 439 men and boys were killed in an underground explosion at the Universal Colliery
and then to
Llanbradach.
Beyond here, the route is almost rural with the occasional conurbation superimposed on the route.
Ystrad Mynach
is the largest of these, the approach to the station heralded (on the left) by Ystrad Mynach signal box, unusual in the complex system of levers and pivots which transfers the signaller's actions down the embankment on which the box is perched, to the infrastructure at the bottom. A few miles to the west is Llancaiach Fawr, a reputedly-haunted manor house where visitors are greeted and entertained in the style of the English Civil War period.
Hengoed
station is overshadowed by Maesycymmer viaduct which spans the valley, while the ambiguous rural/urban character of the valley is exemplified at
Pengam
which has a farm on one side of the station, and houses and factories on the other.
Gilfach Fargoed
is the Valley Lines equivalent of Budapest, and serves the communities of Gilfach (to the west) and Bargoed to the north.
Bargoed
was once an important junction for the long-closed branches from the surrounding valleys, but is now the end of the double-track line from Cardiff. Until a few years ago, only one platform was in use, but the former Up platform has been brought back on line. The station is somewhat inconveniently located for the main residential focus of the town, so there also are plans to build another station further south, in which case, Gilfach Fargoed would close. These plans have been under consideration for many years, but there is still little signed that they will be followed up.
From Bargoed the line passes over a high masonry viaduct before becoming single-track for the rest of the journey to Rhymney.
Brithdir
is the first stop on the single-line section near which is the George Inn, the name the station bore until 1892.
Tir Phil
also serves New Tredegar - and the Elliott Colliery Engine House tourist attraction - on the opposite side of the valley.
Pontlottyn
With its colliery long-closed (though its site is commemorated by two of the sheaves (winding wheels) embedded in a concrete plinth), until a few years ago, Pontlottyn's claim to fame was the Railway Inn.
This curiosity resulted from the strict temperance of the former landowner, who refused any drinking establishment on his property. The directors of the Rhymney Railway, however, had no such qualms, and allowed the inn to be built in its relatively restricted position, nestling between the arches of the railway viaduct (pictured left). Closed for many years, the pub consisted of three bars linked by a long corridor but has been demolished, despite a vigorous local campaign to retain it.
Rhymney
is the terminus of the line, and consists of a station and sidings where trains are stabled overnight. About a mile to the north, Butetown, a former iron-workers village consisting basically of parallel terraced cottages, has been restored. A conservation area, it incorporates a church, post office and public house, but the cottages themselves are privately owned and have no public access.

Cardiff...
...is the gateway to the coast and Valley areas of south east Wales.
A city since 1905, and the capital of Wales since 1955, Cardiff celebrated both anniversaries in 2005.
The city stands at the mouth of the River Taff (part of which was diverted in the mid-nineteenth century to clear a site for the what is now Cardiff Central railway station). Noted for its Victorian arcades and pedestrianised shopping areas, it also offers top class facilities for sport, theatre and the cinema.
Cardiff Castle (right)  has undergone a three-year £8m refurbishment programme, which included provision of a new interpretation and visitor centre. The castle has Roman and Norman connections, but, apart from Roman remains at the base of the south east walls, the Norman Keep and the 15th century Western Apartments, what you see is mostly a Victorian reconstruction.
Nearby, the civic centre is considered among the finest in Europe, and incorporates the museum, law courts, the former Welsh Office (now the secretariat of the Welsh Assembly), university buildings and the City Hall. With a referendum in September 1997 narrowly voting for the establishment of a Welsh Assembly to govern Wales, the City Hall was one of the venues under consideration to house the body, but the Assembly - which first sat on June 1 1999 - was first housed in Crickhowell House in Cardiff Bay but has moved into the adjacent Senedd (Welsh for Senate) Building (see below).
Behind City Hall is Alexandra Gardens with its imposing War Memorial commemorating two World Wars and more recent conflicts.
In the city centre, the other building of great antiquity is St John's Church, parts of which date from the thirteenth century.
There are several malls off the pedestrianised shopping area, which also has St David's Hall - renowned for concerts by top-class orchestras and entertainers - and the Motorpoint International Arena, the venue for conferences, pop concerts, ice shows, and the like.
St David's Phase Two, a new shopping mall on the southern side of the city centre, opened on October 22 2009.
The New Theatre celebrated its centenary a few years ago, and stages plays and other productions, including those by the internationally-celebrated Welsh National Opera until the WNO moved into its new home: the Wales Millennium Centre for the Performing Arts (see below) which opened in November 2004 with a spectacular Gala concert attended by Her Majesty The Queen.
Close to the city centre, on the banks of the river, the Millennium Stadium (left) is the home of Welsh Rugby. Opened for a Wales v South Africa friendly in June 1999, it took on an international importance when it staged early rounds of the Rugby World Cup that October, and the Final on 6 November of the same year. It is now used to stage Wales' home games in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, international football matches, concerts and other high-profile events. While Wembley Stadium was being developed it was also been the venue of prestigious football matches, including the Worthington and FA Cup Finals. A very versatile building, it also stages  speedway, monster truck and religious conventions.
A mile to the south, the Cardiff Bay development has transformed the derelict docklands area into a leisure, residential and light-industrial complex, while the barrage which dams the mouths of the Taff and Ely rivers was brought into operation on November 4 1999 to create a 500-acre freshwater lake. It is now possible to walk from Cardiff Bay to Penarth over the barrage.
To the north of the city, is Llandaff Cathedral, which has been a place of worship for more than 1,400 years. Partly destroyed by bombs during World War II, the cathedral was rebuilt and rededicated in 1958, its nave overarched by the sculpture of Christ in Majesty by Jacob Epstein.
On the city's western boundary is the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagan's, which recreates the Welsh way of life in authentic buildings from all over Wales. Dismantled from their original locations and reassembled at St Fagan's - itself a manor house dating from the Civil War era - they provide a base for many practitioners of old crafts such as pottery and woodcarving, and also includes a blacksmith's forge.

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Please note. The period of validity of the National Network timetables has changed.
Any times and travel details given  apply only for the currency of the timetable valid from December 10th 2011 to May 13 2012.

Cardiff Bay station is reached via a short spur from Cardiff Queen Street with a journey time of three minutes, and Monday to Saturday trains run every 12 minutes on the hour and 12, 24, 36 and 48 past the hour between 6.36am and 11.48pm .

From Cardiff Bay to Queen Street, Monday to Saturday, trains run at 6, 18, 30, 42 and 54 minutes past the hour between 6.42am and 11.54pm.

On Sundays until March 25, trains run to Cardiff Bay on the hour and 12, 24, 36 and 48 past the hour between 9.00am and 6.48pm. From Sunday April 1, the first train is at 12.24pm.
Return journeys from the Bay until March 25, are at 6, 18, 30, 42 and 54 minutes past the hour between 9.06am and 6.54pm. From Sunday April 1, the first train is at 12.30pm.

Nearby attractions

The Cardiff Bay area has been developed as a waterfront park with leisure, residential and light-industrial complexes on reclaimed derelict dockland, and is the start of the Taff Trail which can be followed as far as Brecon, 57 miles away.
The major feature is the Barrage which can be reached by road train from its stop outside the car park in Stuart Street. You can also walk across the barrage as far as Penarth.
The Welsh assembly meets in the Senedd (Welsh for Senate), the  new debating chamber which has been built alongside the Pierhead Building (pictured left, a striking terracotta edifice that was once the headquarters of the Bute Dock and Railway Company, which opened the first of the docks in 1839, and was the prime influence behind the Taff Vale Railway. It is now used as the Visitor Centre for the National Assembly.
The Wales Millennium Centre for the Performing Arts opened in November 2004 with a spectacular Gala Concert attended by Her Majesty the Queen. It is the home of Welsh National Opera and seven other performing arts groups including the Urdd, the Welsh organisation for the youth of Wales. Adjoining is Alun Hoddinot Hall, named after the late Welsh composer, which is a base for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Outside the Millennium Centre is Roald Dahl Place - named after the children's writer who was born in Cardiff suburb of Llandaff - built on the site of the basin of the Bute West Dock, now used for street theatre and open-air concerts. The steel column with water cascading down it (at extreme right in the photograph alongside) will be recognised by fans of Torchwood - the spin-off from the successful BBC Wales television series Dr Who, filmed largely in Cardiff and the surrounding area - as supposedly the entrance to Torchwood. The latest series of Torchwood has emigrated to the United States, though.
A coffee bar and art gallery has been established in the Norwegian Seamen's Church where Roald Dahl was baptised as a child. A short distance away was 'The Tube' - a cigar-shaped structure which housed the Cardiff Bay visitors' centre. It was the base for the Spirit of Cardiff, a powerboat which attempted the fastest circumnavigation of the world in 2002. The target was almost 25,000 miles in 50 days, calling at 26 different countries, but a series of misadventures, culminating in a heart attack suffered by one of the crew, led to the attempt being abandoned, though not before a number of records were broken,
Tied up permanently at the quay alongside the site of The Tube is the Helwick Lightship, which was stationed off the Gower Peninsular guarding a treacherous sandbank 50 miles northwest of Cardiff, but is now used as a Christian Fellowship centre.
A short distance along the quay is a sculpture recognising the role of miners and the mining industry in creating the wealth which made Cardiff the foremost coal exporting port in Britain; the foundation of the capital city we see today.
A little farther away, Techniquest is a unique hands-on science centre which demonstrates scientific principles and phenomena in colourful and surprising ways, while at Harry Ramsden's restaurant, it is claimed, are served the best fish and chip meals in the world.
The St David's Hotel was one of the first Five-Star rated establishments in the city. Mermaid Quay a is modern eating and shopping complex which also overlooks Plas Roald Dahl (Roald Dahl Place).
Boats and water taxis (pictured left) ply their trade around the bay and up-river as far as the Castle near the city centre. They will also land you on the Barrage itself - also reached on foot from near the Norwegian Church - where you can see the massive sluice gates in operation.

Please note. The period of validity of the National Network timetables has changed.
Any times and travel details given  apply only for the currency of the timetable valid from December 10th 2011 to May 13 2012.

To/from Barry Island
From Barry Island, Monday to Saturday services to Cardiff operate at 5.52am, 6.25am, and 6.55am, then at 25, 40 and 55 minutes past the hour between 7.25 am and 7.26pm then at 7.55pm, 8.55pm, 9.55pm and 10.44pm.
On Sundays, there are departures at 8.55am and 9.55am, then at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour between 10.25am and 9.55pm, and at 10.55pm.
From Cardiff Central, Monday to Saturday, there are departures at 5.20am, 5.55am, 6.25am and 6.55am, then at 10, 25 and 55 minutes past the hour between 7.10am and 6.25pm, then at 6.55pm, 7.25pm, 8.10pm, 8.41pm, 9.10pm, 10.10pm and 11.30pm.

On Sundays, there is a basic hourly service to/from Barry Island - half hourly between mid morning and early evening. On the Vale of Glamorgan Line, services are two-hourly.

Departures from Cardiff Central at 41 minutes past the hour between 5.41am and 10.41pm serve stations on the Vale of Glamorgan Line with an hourly service to/from Bridgend, calling at Llantwit Major and Rhoose Cardiff International Airport.
 

To/from Penarth
On weekdays, services to Penarth are three/four per hour between 5.46am and 9.01pm, then at 9.31pm , 10.01pm, 1031pm and 11.12pm. Services from Penarth leave approximately twenty minutes later than their departure times from Cardiff Central.
Sunday services to Penarth leave Cardiff Central two-hourly between 10.31am and 8.31pm. Trains return from Penarth two-hourly between 10.47am and 8.47pm.

Special fares and/or timetables will apply to all Valley Line services on event days at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Stations on the routes (with journey times from Cardiff Central) are:
Grangetown (4 minutes); Dingle Road (to Penarth) 8 minutes; Penarth 11 minutes; Cogan (to Barry Island) 7 minutes; Eastbrook (10); Dinas Powys (12); Cadoxton 16); Barry Docks (18); Barry 21); Barry Island (26); Rhoose Cardiff International Airport (33); Llantwit Major (44); Bridgend (59).

Places of Interest

Please note. The period of validity of the National Network timetables has changed.
Any times and travel details given  apply only for the currency of the timetable valid from December 10th 2011 to May 13 2012.

Between Radyr and Cardiff Central via Danescourt, trains run at 4 and 34 minutes past the hour between 7.04am and 7.04pm, then at 8.04pm, 9.04pm and 10.04pm.
From Cardiff Central, trains to Radyr run at 6 and 36 minutes past the hour between 7.06am and 6.36pm, then at 7.36pm, 8.36pm and 9.36pm.

There is no service on Sundays.

Special fares and/or timetables will apply to all Valley Line services on event days at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Stations on the branch (with journey times from Cardiff Central) are:
Ninian Park (4 minutes); Waungron Park (7); Fairwater (9); Danescourt (11); and Radyr (15).

City Line serves the western suburbs of Cardiff, linking with the Cardiff-Pontypridd Route at Radyr.
Although the line was opened in 1859 to provide a though route for Taff Vale Railway mineral trains bound for Penarth Docks, it was not until 1987 that the line saw its first regular passenger service. Previously it had been used as a diversionary route and for football specials to the Halt near Cardiff City's ground at Ninian Park, but the provision of passenger trains on the branch was an important plank in the joint rail strategy of Mid and South Glamorgan County Councils, and called for the building of four new stations and the refurbishing of disused Ninian Park halt. The branch opened to passengers on 'Funday' the 4th October 1987, but Waungron Park station did not open until 6th November.
At the northern end of the line, was Radyr marshalling yard which controlled the countless millions of coal wagons on their way to the ports of Cardiff Penarth and Barry.

Places of interest

From Cardiff Central, the line heads west to skirt the southern boundary of the Rolling Stock maintenance depot where Valley Line trains are serviced.
Ninian Park is the first stop, near which is Cardiff City Stadium, the ground of Cardiff City football club. Also close at hand is Cardiff Athletic stadium, and the shopping centre of Canton. St John's Church is easily found by aiming for its lofty spire.
Waungron Park - unusual for its staggered platforms, one of which straddles a bridge over the roadway - serves the eastern parts of Fairwater and Ely. There are a number of small factories close by.
Fairwater is within reach of Cantonian Upper High and the Bishop of Llandaff High Schools, while in nearby Fairwater Park there is a dry ski slope.
Danescourt is almost entirely residential, though there is a pleasant walk from the north of the housing estate to Radyr, which passes through a wooded area with picnic tables. In the heyday of coal traffic, there was an important marshalling yard at Radyr, where City Line trains link with those on the Pontypridd-Cardiff corridor, but now all traces have disappeared under a web of residential estates.
From Radyr station there are pleasant walks along the River Taff to Radyr Weir where salmon may be seen leaping in season. The path also gives access to Forest Farm and the Glamorganshire Canal nature reserves.

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Coryton Branch

Please note. The period of validity of the National Network timetables has changed.
Any times and travel details given  apply only for the currency of the timetable valid from December 10th 2011 to May 13 2012.

From Coryton into Cardiff Central, there is a half-hourly service at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour between 6.45am and  7.15pm, then at 8.15pm, 9.15pm and 10.45pm.
Trains from Cardiff Central to Coryton are half-hourly at 21 and 51 minutes past the hour between 6.21am and 6.51pm; then at 7.51pm, 8.51pm and 10.21pm.

There is no service on Sundays.

Special fares and/or timetables will apply to all Valley Line services on event days at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Stations on the branch (with journey times to Cardiff Queen Street Are: Coryton (14mins); Whitchurch (13mins); Rhiwbina (11mins); Birchgrove (9mins); Ty Glas (8mins) and Heath Low Level (5mins).

Places of interest

From Queen Street station trains share the same track as those on the Rhymney branch. The track threads through the northern suburb of Roath until, just beyond Cathays Cemetery (once served by a halt with a specially sloped platform to facilitate the transfer of coffins from trains into the burial ground) the Coryton branch diverges left from the main line.
Heath Low Level
(to distinguish it from the High Level station a short distance away on the Rhymney branch), like most of the stations on the branch, mainly serves residential areas. However, the northern edge of Roath Park - the largest park in Cardiff - is not too far away.
Ty Glas
is the newest station on the branch and was opened in 1987 as part of the joint rail strategy. It serves a number of light-industrial units as well as offices and a bakery.
From Ty Glas, the track is unusual in that it runs in a straight line almost to Coryton, 2½ kilometres away, and the remaining stations on the branch are within sight of each other.
Birchgrove
serves a mainly residential area, as well as Hill Snook Park.
Caedelyn Park is south of
Rhiwbina
station, while
Whitchurch
is convenient for the nearby golf club.
Coryton
serves Coryton and the north of Whitchurch, with Whitchurch and Velindre Hospitals, and the British Telecom training centre nearby. A little further afield, there is access to the Glamorganshire Canal nature reserve.

The Coryton branch is the only section of the valleys network which provides an historical link as the only surviving stretch of line built by the original Cardiff Railway Company.
Opened in 1909, the route extended from Heath Junction to Treforest, joining the Taff Vale Railway's line via a 450-ft skew bridge over the river Taff to a point just south of Treforest station. This immediately put the CR in legal dispute with the ever-litigatious TVR, so only one train ever ran over the northern section of the line. Today, a low embankment glimpsed among the trees near the children's playground south of Treforest station and a pair of bridge abutments are the only reminders of the CR's venture. Passenger services commenced in 1911 but only as far as Rhydfelin. The section between here and Coryton was closed twenty years later in July 1931, though development of Nantgarw Colliery in 1938 saw the reopening of part of the route for mineral traffic.
In 1952 a new link to the colliery was built from just north of Taffs Well station on the Pontypridd-Cardiff branch, and the Coryton-Nantgarw section was closed the following year.

For details of connecting bus and rail services, including travel planner and timetables, visit the Traveline Cymru website.

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Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12 by Deryck Lewis. All rights reserved.
Page created July 21 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Last updated January 14 2012
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at WalesRails