Ystrad Mynach railway station

Coordinates: 51°38′27″N 3°14′30″W / 51.6407°N 3.2417°W

Ystrad Mynach
Location
Place	Ystrad Mynach
Local authority	Caerphilly
Grid reference	ST141942
Operations
Station code	YSM
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.210 million
2005/06	0.214 million
2006/07	0.222 million
2007/08	0.258 million
2008/09	0.258 million
2009/10	0.277 million
2010/11	0.291 million
2011/12	0.301 million
2012/13	0.305 million
2013/14	0.312 million
2014/15	0.318 million
History
Key dates	Opened 1858
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ystrad Mynach from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Ystrad Mynach railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ystrad Mynach, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network.

There is a dedicated rail linc bus that links with the train. It is only available to rail passengers, and operates to Maesycwmmer, Pontllanfraith, and Blackwood.

History

Ystrad Mynach railway station was on the Rhymney Railway, enacted in 1855 and opened in 1858. It consisted of staggered platforms on the main line, as well as a separate platform on the Dowlais line. Nearby Penallta Junction gave access to the Great Western Railway and the Aberdare Valley, opened 1 April 1871 and the Cylla branch opened on 1 August 1906 to access the new Powell Duffryn owned Penallta Colliery. The latter line closed in 1991 and has since been lifted, but the former is still in use (for freight only) as far as Cwmbargoed to serve the coal washery and associated opencast mine at Ffos-Y-Fran.^[1] Coal from there is sent to Aberthaw Power Station in bulk trainloads.

The northbound platform is signalled for use in both directions, to permit trains from Cardiff to terminate & start back from there.

Ystrad Mynach railway station was used as a location in the pilot episode of Porridge (Prisoner and Escort), part of the series Seven of One, starring Ronnie Barker.

Service

The station has a frequent weekday service in both directions - northbound there are four trains each hour to Bargoed (one service terminates here during the autumn leaf fall period), with hourly extensions to Rhymney (extras at peak times) on Mondays to Saturday daytimes, whilst southbound there are four trains per hour to Cardiff Central and Penarth.^[2] Connections for Barry Island and Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan Line (as well as main line destiantions further afield) are available at Cardiff Central.
In the evening, there is an hourly service to Rhymney & Cardiff/Penarth and on Sundays there is a two-hourly service each way, with southbound trains running to Barry Island.

References

1. Cwmbargoed Disposal Point Miller Argent Investing in Wales website article; Retrieved 2013-09-11
2. GB National Rail Timetable, Table 130; 9 September - 6 December 2013

External links

• Train times and station information for Ystrad Mynach railway station from National Rail