Ebbw Valley Railway

The Ebbw Valley Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Cwm Ebwy) is a branch line of the South Wales Main Line in South Wales. Transport for Wales Rail provides an hourly passenger service each way between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central, and an hourly service each way between Ebbw Vale Town and Newport.

Ebbw Valley Railway
Rheilffordd Cwm Ebwy
Rogerstone railway station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleEbbw Valley, South Wales
Termini
  • 51°46′55″N 3°12′22″W
  • 51°34′12″N 3°00′27″W
Stations8
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Transport for Wales Rail
Rolling stock
History
Opened21 December 1850
Closed30 April 1962
Reopened6 February 2008
Technical
Line length19 miles 57 chains (31.7 km)
Number of tracksSingle track
(Double track from Risca and Pontymister to Aberbeeg)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Highest elevation820 feet (250 m)
Route map

(Click to expand)
Iron Works Halt
Ebbw Vale Town
Ebbw Vale Parkway
Cwm
to Nantyglo and Blaina
Abertillery
Aberbeeg
Llanhilleth
Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly
Crumlin
High LevelLow Level
Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly
Newbridge
Abercarn
Cwmcarn
Crosskeys
Sirhowy Valley Line
Risca
Risca and Pontymister
Tynycwm Halt
Rogerstone
Machen Quarry
Pye Corner
Bassaleg Junction
Park Junction
South Wales Main Line
to Cardiff Central│to Newport High Street
Newport Dock Street

The line was opened by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company and the Great Western Railway (GWR) operated a passenger service from the 1850s between Newport and Ebbw Vale. The line became part of British Railways Western Region in 1948, following the nationalisation of the railways. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1962. However, the route continued to be used to carry freight to and from the Corus steelworks in Ebbw Vale, until its closure in 2002. Proposals to re-open the existing freight railway line to passenger services were first mooted in 1998. The Welsh Assembly Government announced their commitment to the project in 2002, as part of a package of measures to help the former steel communities.

Passenger services were restored to the line in February 2008, after a gap of 46 years, using Class 150 diesel multiple units. Predominantly single track north of Newport, but with an extended 7 mile passing loop between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg, the Ebbw Valley Railway runs 19 miles (31 km) along the Ebbw River valley from Ebbw Vale, before joining the South Wales Main Line at a triangular group of junctions in Newport – the line splitting at Park Junction with the eastbound section joining at Gaer Junction and the westbound section joining at Ebbw Junction. The line's stations and services are managed by Transport for Wales Rail.

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