Abercynon railway station

Abercynon National Rail

Abercynon Railway Station before the merger with Abercynon North and the subsequent rebuilding of the station
Location
Place Abercynon
Local authority Rhondda Cynon Taf
Coordinates 51°38′42″N 3°19′37″W / 51.645°N 3.327°W / 51.645; -3.327Coordinates: 51°38′42″N 3°19′37″W / 51.645°N 3.327°W / 51.645; -3.327
Grid reference ST082948
Operations
Station code ACY
Managed by Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05  92,256
2005/06 Decrease 82,208
2006/07 Decrease 70,294
2007/08 Decrease 64,660 see also Abercynon North
2008/09 Increase 0.194 million
2009/10 Increase 0.196 million
2010/11 Increase 0.214 million
2011/12 Increase 0.240 million
- Interchange 35,304
2012/13 Increase 0.244 million
- Interchange Increase 35,871
2013/14 Increase 0.252 million
- Interchange Increase 42,347
2014/15 Increase 0.265 million
- Interchange Decrease 40,847
History
9 October 1840 Station opens as Navigation House
6 August 1846 Renamed Aberdare Junction
1 December 1896 Renamed Abercynon
3 October 1988 Renamed Abercynon South upon opening of Abercynon North
2008 Renamed Abercynon upon merger with Abercynon North
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Abercynon from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal
Ex-Taff Vale 0-6-2T in 1946

Abercynon railway station is the railway station serving the village of Abercynon in the Cynon Valley, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr Line, 15.5 miles (25 km) north of Cardiff Central. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales.

History

It was first opened on this site as "Aberdare Junction" by the Taff Vale Railway in 1846 and renamed "Abercynon" in 1896 and to "Abercynon South" in 1988. The original station buildings, including the Great Western Railway signal box of 1932 (which originally came from Birmingham Moor Street station)[1] have been demolished, with the signal box being demolished near the end of 2013.

In November 2007, a proposal was submitted by the Welsh Assembly Government to discontinue all services provided at Abercynon North. From a date "no sooner than 1st May 2008" as the notice ran, all services were to be transferred to Abercynon South, which would be rebuilt (with the reinstatement of the disused "up" side of the island platform) to accommodate all services serving both stations.[2]

Following the merger of Abercynon North and South, the latter station's name reverted to simply "Abercynon".

On 14 December 2010, a free Park and Ride car park opened on the site of the station yard, with capacity for 160 cars. This is hoped to improve commuter travel to Cardiff and other areas on the Valley Lines network. This was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Regional Development Fund.[3]

On 26 and 27 April 2012, the British Royal Train visited the station as part of the tour of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[4] The train had to stop at Abercynon due to the tight curves on the line, with the Royals continuing their journey by road.

In October 2013 the Signal Box (out of use since the aforementioned 2008 remodelling & resignalling[5]) was removed and a new Ticket Vending Machine was installed on the station to enable travellers to purchase tickets before boarding a train as well printing tickets for pre-booked journeys. The layout is currently controlled from an interim signalling centre next to the 'up' (Cardiff-bound) platform. This was due to hand over control to the Cardiff Rail Operating Centre in 2014 as part of the wider modernisation of the area ahead of electrification of the Valley Lines network, but still appears to be under control.

On 21 February 2015, a blue plaque was unveiled at the station entrance to mark the location of trade unionist John Ewington's workplace. His claim against his employer, the Taff Vale Railway Company for unfair treatment led to the famous Taff Vale Case which was fundamental in the creation of the Labour Party.[6]

In February 2016 work started at the station to improve the facilities ahead of the South Wales Metro system. Work included the installation of an extra shelter and a bike shelter where the old signal box stood.

Service

Abercynon is served by four trains per hour to Cardiff Central, continuing to either Barry Island (three trains per hour) or Bridgend via The Vale of Glamorgan Line (hourly).[7]

Northbound services operate twice hourly to Merthyr Tydfil and twice hourly to Aberdare Monday to Saturday.

On Sundays, southbound services operate every two hours to Barry Island and Bridgend via The Vale of Glamorgan Line, and northbound service operate every two hours to Merthyr Tydfil and every two hours to Aberdare.

Major stations on the network are Pontypridd, Cardiff Queen Street, Cardiff Central, Bridgend and Barry.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Pontypridd   Arriva Trains Wales
Merthyr Line
   Quakers Yard
  Arriva Trains Wales
Aberdare Branch
   Penrhiwceiber

References

  1. ↑ Hutton, John (2006). The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 1. Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-249-1.
  2. ↑ New Abercynon Station Project Welsh Assembly website; retrieved 2009-03-04
  3. ↑ http://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/news/archive/2010/12/abercynonparkrideschemeopens.aspx
  4. ↑ http://ourbobby.com/EN/News/Details.aspx?n1=1&n2=11&n3=43&n4=43&id=12&nid=21585
  5. ↑ Adrian The rock - Signalling at Abercynon www.roscalen.com; Retrieved 2013-09-16
  6. ↑ "Blue plaque honour for trade unionist John Ewington". BBC News South East Wales. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  7. ↑ GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 130

External links

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