General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 51°36′45″N3°24′27″W / 51.6124°N 3.4075°W | ||||
Grid reference | ST025913 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | POR | ||||
Classification | DfT category D | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 1876 | ||||
Original company | Taff Vale Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Taff Vale Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
4 February 1861 | First station opened | ||||
1 July 1876 | Station resited | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 0.344 million | ||||
2019/20 | 0.311 million | ||||
2020/21 | 35,772 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.123 million | ||||
2022/23 | 0.152 million | ||||
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Porth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf,Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line.
Two stations have served Porth. The first was opened on 4 February 1861 by the Taff Vale Railway; [1] the line had been open since 10 June 1841. [2]
On 1 July 1876,the original station was closed,being replaced by a new one approximately 240 yards (220 m) to the east. [1] The Rhondda Fawr line to Treherbert was singled north of here in 1981 and most of the 1876 station buildings were replaced in 1984–85. [3]
The now defunct Maerdy Branch along the Rhondda Fach valley to Maerdy and the collieries at Mardy and Ferndale used to diverge from the 'main line' to Treherbert just north of the station at Maerdy Junction. Opened in stages between 1849 and 1856,the passenger service over this route ended in 1964,but mineral traffic to Mardy Colliery continued to run until final closure of the branch in August 1986,when coal from Mardy was then raised from Tower Colliery. The track was subsequently lifted in 1996,but the old formation can still be traced (along with the former up loop platform used by branch trains).
A passenger service between Porth and Barry was introduced by the Barry Railway on 16 March 1896,running via Pontypridd Graig and Treforest High Level., [4] but this ended in 1930 when the service was re-routed via the TVR station at Pontypridd (trains henceforth terminating there,except for summer excursions,until the service down to Barry finally ended in September 1962).
An unusual ground level signal box was installed at the station when the Treherbert line was reduced to single track in 1981,replacing a much more substantial TVR structure. [5] This holds the distinction of the being the last new mechanical box to be built by British Rail, [6] though it had a working life of only 17 years before being abolished in 1998 when the Radyr signalling centre took control of the area.
Monday-Saturday,there is a half-hourly service to Cardiff Central via Pontypridd and Cardiff Queen Street southbound and to Treherbert northbound,serving all stations en route except Trefforest Estate. This drops to hourly in the late evening. There is a two-hourly service in each direction on Sundays,with through trains to Barry Island. [7] On 20 July 2018,previous franchise operator Arriva Trains Wales announced a trial period of extra Sunday services on the Rhondda Line to Cardiff and Barry Island. This was in response to a survey by Leanne Wood and the success of extra Sunday services on the Merthyr Line and the Rhymney Line. [8]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Trehafod | Transport for Wales Rhondda Line | Dinas Rhondda | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Trehafod Line and station open | Barry Railway Porth–Barry | Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Trehafod Line and station open | Taff Vale Railway Maerdy Branch | Ynyshir Line and station closed |
The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stages in 1840 and 1841.
Maerdy is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.
Ynyshir is a village and community located in the Rhondda Valley, within Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The name of the village means "long island" in Welsh and takes its name from a farm in the area, falling within the historic parishes of Ystradyfodwg and Llanwynno (Llanwonno). The community of Ynyshir lies between the small adjoining village of Wattstown and the larger town of neighbouring Porth.
The Rhondda line, also known as the Treherbert line, is a commuter railway line in South Wales from Cardiff to Treherbert. The line follows the Merthyr line as far as Pontypridd, where it then diverges to continue along the Rhondda Valley.
Pontypridd railway station serves the town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located at the junction of the Merthyr line and the Rhondda line and has for many years been the only station serving the town.
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Cadoxton railway station is a railway station serving Cadoxton and Palmerstown near Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is located on the Barry Branch 6½ miles (10 km) south of Cardiff Central. The line continues to the terminus of the Barry Branch at Barry Island but from Barry Junction the line also continues as the Vale of Glamorgan branch to Bridgend via Rhoose for Cardiff International Airport bus link and then Llantwit Major.
Trehafod railway station is a railway station serving the township of Trehafod in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line.
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Ynyswen railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ynyswen in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line.
Treherbert railway station serves the village of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Rhondda Line.
Pontygwaith is a small village located in the Rhondda Fach valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, in the community of Tylorstown.
Rail transport in Cardiff has developed to provide connections to many other major cities in the United Kingdom, and to provide an urban rail network for the city and its commuter towns in southeast Wales. Today, there are three train operating companies in Cardiff: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.
The Maerdy Branch was a railway branch line in South Wales. Financed and operated by the Taff Vale Railway, on amalgamation it became part of the Great Western Railway in 1923. Designed and mainly operated as a coal mining freight railway, its creation and demise was wholly defined by the South Wales Coalfield.
Maerdy railway station was a railway station in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It served the town of Maerdy between 1889 and 1964.