Ebbw Vale Town railway station

Main article: Ebbw Valley Railway

The origins of the Ebbw Valley Railway can be traced to the wooden tramways and waggonways which served the various coal mines and steel works in the upper Ebbw Valley, to enable them to receive raw materials and dispatch products. Developments around Ebbw Vale itself were most associated with the Beaufort Ironworks Tramway, which opened in 1798 between the ironworks as far as Crumlin. ^[1] On 23 December 1850, the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company introduced a regular passenger service between Newport Courtybella and Blaina. ^[2] Services were extended to Ebbw Vale on 19 April 1852 after improvement works had been carried out to the 9.5 miles (15.3 km) section between Aberbeeg and Ebbw Vale. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Originally developed as a single-platform station, by 1923 at the time of railway grouping Ebbw Vale (Low Level) railway station boasted a staff of 44. ^[5]

Ebbw Vale (High Level) railway station was opened by the London and North Western Railway on 2 September 1867. ^{[3] [4]} To distinguish the two Ebbw Vale stations, British Railways added the suffix "High Level" (the L&NWR station) on 23 May 1949 and "Low Level" (the GWR station) on 19 July 1950. ^{[3] [4]} Both stations closed to passengers on 30 April 1962. ^{[3] [4] [6]} Closure of the lines to goods traffic came on 1 December 1969. ^{[7] [8]}

Development

In the 2008 Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy, the link between Ebbw Vale and Newport was identified for implementation in the period 2009–2018. In May 2013, the Welsh Government announced that the Ebbw Vale line would be extended from the existing terminus at Ebbw Vale Parkway to the new station at Ebbw Vale Town. A total of £11.5 million was agreed to fund the station, line extension and associated landscaping for the surrounding area. Two weeks later, funding was also agreed for Pye Corner railway station, also along the line. ^{[9] [10]}

Opening

First train at Ebbw Vale Town

The Ebbw Vale Town Station extension opened 17 May 2015. ^[11] There is an hourly service, Monday – Saturday, to Cardiff Central, and an approximately two-hourly service via Newport on Sundays. ^[12]

Stage two

Under the proposals of stage two of the project, a half-hourly service would be introduced, and a two-platform station would be built as the northern terminus of the line, close to the old British Steel General Office Site part of "the Works" development. This can only be enabled through additional passing loops and track infrastructure being provisioned by 2018 in the Newport and Crosskeys to Llanhilleth area. ^[13] Funding for the project will mainly come from the Welsh Assembly Government, and many other stakeholders.

Ebbw Vale Town Welsh: Tref Glyn Ebwy
General information
Location	Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent Wales
Coordinates	51°46′34″N3°12′07″W / 51.776°N 3.202°W / 51.776; -3.202
Grid reference	SO168099
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	EBB
Key dates
17 May 2015 (2015-05-17)	Opened
Passengers
2017/18	0.245 million

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		Transport for Wales Ebbw Vale Town - Cardiff Central		Ebbw Vale Parkway

Bus station

The station is an eight-minute walk from the Ebbw Vale bus station (also known as Inner Bypass), which is the terminus for a number of Stagecoach South Wales services to Cardiff, Abergavenny, Brynmawr, Tredegar, and other nearby villages.

Notes

1. Page (1988), p. 167.
2. Byles (1982), p. 32.
3. Quick (2009), p. 161.
4. Butt (1995), p. 88.
5. Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 115.
6. Hurst (1992), p. 19, note 0936.
7. Clinker (1988), p. 43.
8. Hurst (1992), p. 61, note 2706.
9. "£11.5m for train station in Ebbw Vale town centre". South Wales Argus. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
10. "SEWTA Welcomes £15M Ebbw Valley Line Investment". SEWTA. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
11. BBC News – First train to arrive at new station in Ebbw Vale. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015
12. "Search & Buy Train Tickets with Arriva Trains Wales for travel in Wales and UK".
13. Thomas, Carys (24 August 2014). "Blaenau Gwent rail improvements by 2016". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

References

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
• Byles, Aubrey (1982). The History of the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. Cwmbran: Village Publishing. ISBN   0-946043-00-0.
• Clinker, C. R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN   978-0-905466-91-0. OCLC   655703233.

• Hurst, Geoffrey (1992). Register of Closed Railways: 1948-1991. Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Milepost Publications. ISBN   0-9477-9618-5.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (August 2006). Abertillery and Ebbw Vale Lines. Welsh Valleys. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN   978-1-9044-7484-5.
• Page, James (1988) [1979]. South Wales. Forgotten Railways. Vol. 8. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   0-946537-44-5.
• Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN   978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC   612226077.

External links

• Train times and station information for Ebbw Vale Town railway station from National Rail