Abertillery railway station
Disused railway station in Abertillery, Gwent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abertillery railway station was a station which served Abertillery, in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.[1]
Abertillery | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| General information | |
| Location | Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent Wales |
| Grid reference | SO215041 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 21 December 1850 | Opened |
| c. 1893/4 | Resited 185 metres (202 yd) due north |
| 30 April 1962 | Closed to passengers |
| 7 April 1969 | Closed to goods traffic |
Among the lines built by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company from Newport into the valleys was a 6-mile (9.7-kilometre) branch from Aberbeeg to Nantyglo, which was first opened as a tramroad in 1824 branching from the Llanhiledd Tramroad between Crumlin and Beaufort.[2] The first timetabled passenger service began on 21 December 1850 from Newport Courtybella to Blaina via Abertillery.[3] The line was converted to a railway in 1855 together with other Monmouth tramroads in the area.[4] It became part of the Great Western Railway in 1880[5] and remained there at the Grouping of 1923.[6]
The first Abertillery station was replaced by a second situated 185 metres (202 yd) north in c. 1893/4.[7][8] Solidly-built stone buildings were provided on the Up platform.[4] The platforms were constructed of timber in order to reduce the weight on the made-up land on the valley side.[9] Just to the south of the station was Abertillery Junction where a short mineral branch less than a mile long diverged to serve Cwmtillery Colliery from 1858 to 1963.[10][4] The station had 59 employees in 1929 and 48 in 1938.[11] In the 1930s, a combined rail and theatre ticket was issued which allowed passengers from certain stations in the Western valleys of Monmouthshire to travel to Abertillery which at the time had four cinemas.[12]
Passenger services were withdrawn from the station on 30 April 1962 and cessation of goods services followed on 7 April 1969.[13][7][8] The line through the station was singled on 3 May 1971.[14] The route was progressively shortened as collieries were closed, with the last section being taken out of use in 1989 after the closure of Six Bells Colliery.[4][15] The first station had remained open for goods traffic until 1 April 1963 during which period it was designated as "Abertillery Old Yard".[16]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournville (Mon) Halt Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company |
Six Bells Halt Line and station closed |
The trackbed is clear up to south of the former station site.[citation needed] However the A467 road has been built on the formation from there northward.[17]
The platform of the old station, albeit entirely cleared of station buildings, remained partly in place into the 1980s until the A467 development began, but a wire fence stood between it and the singled line. Station House, the one-time home of the stationmaster and the one remaining building associated with Abertillery Station, remains as a private dwelling on the town's Oak Street.
Proposed reopening
Abertillery was initially identified as a potential future phase development of the Ebbw Valley Railway.[18] The preferred location of the station would be the British Gas site to the south of the former Co-op store.[18] The extension of the railway line to Abertillery would involve relaying 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) of single-track from Aberbeeg Junction.[18][19][20] In April 2009, a bus link to the nearest station at Llanhilleth was withdrawn after Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council said that it could not continue funding the £200,000 a year service following the ending of Welsh Assembly funding.[21]
In October 2010, it was reported that Sewta had approved recommendations by Capita Symonds for new stations at Abertillery and Crumlin as part of a £14.2 million scheme which would see an hourly service between Abertillery and Cardiff.[22] Negotiations were said to be ongoing with Tesco, the owners of the Co-op site, for the sale of the land.[22] The site would have parking for up to 80 cars, creating a park and ride facility.[22] The estimated cost of extending the line to Abertillery is estimated at £16.7m according to Sewta; part of the trackbed, which is owned by Blaenau Gwent Council, is used as a cycleway but there is thought to be sufficient space for a single track.[23]
However, after the scheme was omitted from the Welsh Government's National Transport Plan for funding priorities until 2015, Welsh Transport Minister Carl Sargeant AM confirmed that the new station is not a priority until after 2015.[24]
This line has been identified by Campaign for a Better Transport as a priority 1 candidate for reopening.[25]
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