Railway lines in the Welsh valleys
Hirwaun
Treherbert
Rhymney
Ynyswen
Ebbw Vale Town
Aberdare
Merthyr Tydfil
Treorchy
Pontlottyn
Cwmbach
Ebbw Vale Parkway
Ton Pentre
Pentre-bach
Ystrad Rhondda
Tir-Phil
Fernhill
Troed-y-rhiw
Llwynypia
Cwm
Mountain Ash
Merthyr Vale
Tonypandy
Brithdir
Dinas Rhondda
Bargoed
Penrhiwceiber
Abertillery
Porth
Quakers Yard
Trehafod
Llanhilleth
Abercynon North
Gilfach Fargoed
Abercynon
Pengam
Pontypridd
Hengoed
Treforest
Newbridge
Treforest Estate
Ystrad Mynach
Taff's Well
Llanbradach
Coryton
Energlyn & Churchill Park
Whitchurch
Crosskeys
Rhiwbina
Aber
Radyr
Caerphilly
Birchgrove
Risca & Pontymister
Ty Glas
Lisvane & Thornhill
Llandaf
Llanishen
Cathays
Heath Low / High Level
Danescourt
Rogerstone
Cardiff Queen Street
Pye Corner
Fairwater
Newport
Waun-Gron Park
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Central
Severn Tunnel Junction
Grangetown
Caldicot
Ninian Park
Chepstow
Dingle Road
Cogan
Penarth
Eastbrook
Wales
England
border
Dinas Powys
Lydney
Cadoxton
Gloucester
Barry Docks
Cheltenham Spa
Pontyclun
Barry
Llanharan
Barry Island
Pencoed
Rhoose
Cardiff International Airport
Llantwit Major
Bridgend
Wildmill
Sarn
Tondu
Garth
Maesteg (Ewenny Road)
Maesteg

Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes (Welsh: Llwybrau Lleol y Cymoedd a Chaerdydd) (formerly Valley Lines) is the network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glamorgan and the South Wales Valleys.[1]

The services are currently operated by Transport for Wales Rail. In total, it serves 81 stations in six unitary authority areas: 20 in the city of Cardiff, 11 in the Vale of Glamorgan, 25 in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 15 in Caerphilly, 8 in Bridgend and 5 in Merthyr Tydfil.[2]

Services on these routes are provided by Class 150 DMUs and Class 769 bi-mode multiple units in Diesel mode. They are typically end-to-end, in that they run from one branch terminus, through Cardiff Queen Street station, to another branch terminus, e.g. from Pontypridd to Barry Island.

The major hubs of the network are Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central. Other hubs are Pontypridd, Bridgend and Barry.[3]

History

A stretch of the Vale of Glamorgan Line, on which passenger services were closed under the Beeching Axe, re-opened for passenger service, with services from Cardiff Central to Bridgend, via Barry, Rhoose Cardiff Intl. Airport and Llantwit Major. These services were originally advertised to start in April 2005, but commenced on 12 June 2005.[4][5] Previously services only went as far as Barry.

On 28 March 2020, ownership of the lines between Cardiff and Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton, Rhymney and Cwmbargoed (the "Core Valley Lines") was transferred from Network Rail to Transport for Wales, who leased them to operator AKIL.[6]

Electrification

On 16 July 2012 the UK Government announced plans to extend the electrification of the network at a cost of £350 million. This was at the same time of the announcement of electrification of the South Wales Main Line from Cardiff to Swansea. This would also see investment in new trains and continued improvements to stations.[7]

The investment will require new trains and should result in reduced journey times and cheaper maintenance of the network. Work was expected to start between 2014 and 2019, but has since been pushed back to between 2019 and 2024.[8]

Lines

The Valley Lines network and surrounding routes

The colours used below are from the official network map (see External links). Stations in bold are major interchanges for the network.[2]

  Cardiff Bay Line   City Line   Coryton Line   Vale of Glamorgan Line

Cardiff Queen St.
Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Queen St.
Cardiff Central
Ninian Park
Waun-Gron Park
Fairwater
Danescourt
Radyr

Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen St.
Heath Low Level
Ty Glas
Birchgrove
Rhiwbina
Whitchurch
Coryton

Cardiff Central
Grangetown
   Dingle Road
   Penarth
Cogan
Eastbrook
Dinas Powys
Cadoxton
Barry Docks
Barry
   Barry Island
Rhoose Cardiff Int. Airport
Llantwit Major
Bridgend

  Merthyr Line   Merthyr Line   Rhondda Line   Rhymney Line

Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen St.
Cathays
Llandaf
Radyr
Taffs Well
Treforest Estate
Treforest
Pontypridd
Abercynon
Quakers Yard
Merthyr Vale
Troed-y-rhiw
Pentre-bach
Merthyr Tydfil

Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen St.
Cathays
Llandaf
Radyr
Taffs Well
Treforest Estate
Treforest
Pontypridd
Abercynon
Penrhiwceiber
Mountain Ash
Fernhill
Cwmbach
Aberdare

Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen St.
Cathays
Llandaf
Radyr
Taffs Well
Treforest Estate
Treforest
Pontypridd
Trehafod
Porth
Dinas Rhondda
Tonypandy
Llwynypia
Ystrad Rhondda
Ton Pentre
Treorchy
Ynyswen
Treherbert

Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen St.
Heath High Level
Llanishen
Lisvane & Thornhill
Caerphilly
Aber
Energlyn and Churchill Park
Llanbradach
Ystrad Mynach
Hengoed
Pengam
Gilfach Fargoed
Bargoed
Brithdir
Tir-Phil
Pontlottyn
Rhymney

Routes

Generally trains run from one line to another, joining at Cardiff Central eliminating the need for changing trains there. However they may not run for the whole length of the line.[9] Services run between:

  • Bridgend/Barry Island and Merthyr Tydfil/Aberdare - incorporating the Vale of Glamorgan and Merthyr Lines
  • Penarth and Rhymney/Bargoed - incorporating the Vale of Glamorgan and Rhymney Lines
  • Radyr and Coryton - incorporating the City and Coryton Lines
  • Cardiff Central and Treherbert - incorporating the Rhondda Line only
  • Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay - incorporating the Butetown Branch Line only

Surrounding lines

The following lines also serve Cardiff and the South Wales Valleys but are not considered part of the network by Transport for Wales and use more "mainline" rolling stock (currently Class 170 units).

Maesteg - Cheltenham Ebbw Valley Railway

Cheltenham Spa
Gloucester
Lydney
Chepstow
Caldicot
Severn Tunnel Junction
Newport
Cardiff Central
Pontyclun
Llanharan
Pencoed
Bridgend
Wildmill
Sarn
Tondu
Garth
Maesteg (Ewenny Road)
Maesteg

Cardiff Central
Pye Corner
Rogerstone
Risca and Pontymister
Crosskeys
Newbridge
Llanhilleth
Ebbw Vale Parkway
Ebbw Vale Town

See also

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 "Showcontent". Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  3. Cardiff Central and Queen Street are where all services pass through and are interchanges to the national network. Pontypridd and Barry are the two stations with the largest passenger numbers outside of Cardiff and they are only served by this network. See respective Wikipedia pages.
  4. "Vale of Glamorgen". Railfuture.
  5. "Airport rail link 'open in 2005'". BBC News. 4 May 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  6. "Core Valley Lines Infrastructure Manager". Transport for Wales. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  7. "Rail electrification to Swansea and south Wales valleys welcomed". BBC News Wales. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  8. "Cardiff And Valleys Station Upgrades". Network Rail. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  9. "Search & Buy Train Tickets with Arriva Trains Wales for travel in Wales and UK".
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