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 | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: It needs more explanation of the South Wales Metro and corresponding changes to the trains and services on the line.. (April 2022) |
| Ebbw Valley Railway Rheilffordd Cwm Ebwy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Ebbw Valley, South Wales | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 8 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | Transport for Wales Rail | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 197 DMUs[1] | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 21 December 1850 | ||
| Closed | 30 April 1962 | ||
| Reopened | 6 February 2008 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 19 miles 57 chains (31.7 km)[2][3] | ||
| Number of tracks | Single track (Double track from Risca and Pontymister to Aberbeeg)[4] | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Highest elevation | 820 feet (250 m) | ||
| |||
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.
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 Passenger services were withdrawn in 1962.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,[4] 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.
Current service
The Ebbw Valley Railway currently provides a half-hourly (two hourly Sundays) passenger service between Ebbw Vale Town and Pye Corner, where half of all services will continue to Cardiff Central, and half will continue to Newport during the day.[5][6] Journey duration between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central is 60 minutes.[7] Intermediate stations (their approximate journey times from Ebbw Vale Town are shown in brackets) are Ebbw Vale Parkway (3 minutes), Llanhilleth (11), Newbridge (17), Crosskeys (25), Risca and Pontymister (32), Rogerstone (34) and Pye Corner (38).[7] A dedicated feeder bus services link the line to Abertillery town centre from Llanhilleth.[8]
Actual passenger numbers greatly exceed forecasts. In 2002, passenger journeys were forecast at 22,000 per month. Whereas by 2008, 44,000 journeys had been made on the service each month; also exceeding the monthly target of 33,000 set for 2012. In August 2008 Trish Law, Assembly Member for Blaenau Gwent, said she had received "many complaints of standing-room only and grossly overcrowded trains". Arriva Trains Wales provided extra carriages at busy times, Saturdays and holidays, to cope with the demand.[9] Passenger journeys had exceeded 55,000 per month by May 2009, and by October 2009, over one million passenger journeys had been made on the line in the 20 months since its opening, comfortably exceeding the fourth-year target of 453,000.[10][11][12]
Network Rail own and manage the track and signalling; stations and services are operated by the existing train operating company, Transport for Wales; and the local authorities each own and operate the station car parks in their area.[13] Each station has at least one Passenger Help Point and all stations and car parks have CCTV.[14] All stations on the branch are unstaffed, and at first lacked any ticket issuing facilities;[15] but in late 2009 a Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress self-service ticket machine was installed at each station.[16][17]
