Hirwaun railway station
Hirwaun | |
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General information | |
Location | Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales |
Coordinates | 51°44′34″N 3°30′26″W / 51.7429°N 3.5071°W |
Grid reference | SN960059 |
Platforms | 3 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Vale of Neath Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Key dates | |
24 September 1851 | Opened as Hirwain |
September 1928 | Renamed Hirwaun |
15 June 1964 | Closed |
Railways in the Hirwaun area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hirwaun was a
.History
The station was opened by the
opened first in 1851.Operations
Although only a relatively small station serving an industrial community, Hirwaun was an important junction station for the VoNR. At Gelli Tarw Junction just north of the station, it merged three lines:
- Mainline from Neath to Merthyr
- Branch to Aberdare, later junctioning with the Aberdare Railway
- Dare Valley branch, initially to Bwllfa Colliery and then extended
The three platforms of the station were also supplemented by a brickworks just north of the station site. South of the station, there existed the
- The Hirwaun Ironworks railway
- Tower Colliery
- Penderyn quarry tramway
- Tir Herbert brickworks
- Hirwaun Common railway
Between
In 1956, the station was used by
Closure
Taken over by the
Current
There was a dedicated
Although Tower's underground workings final ceased on 18 January 2008, DB Cargo UK continued to run trains to the Tower washery, which depart Aberdare at 7 pm on Wednesdays, and 1130 on the Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, most often hauled by a Class 66. This service was later taken over by Freightliner, but this service varied in schedule, again hauled by a Class 66. These services came to an end in 2017, due a reduced demand for coal, following a tightening of environmental regulations.[4]
Reopening
In November 2009 the Welsh Government asked Network Rail to conduct a feasibility study on reopening the line to Hirwaun for passenger services.[5]
It was announced in March 2011 that the Welsh Government's 2011-12 capital investment programme would include the re-opening of the line to Hirwaun as part of the Cynon Valley Scheme
The line to this station has been identified by Campaign for a Better Transport as a priority 1 candidate for reopening.[8]
A further extension of the line is also being considered to
Notes
- ^ "Hirwaun Railways". Rhigos memories. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Hirwaun railway station staff". Rhondda Cynon Taf Library service. 1956. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ Page, p.37
- ^ "Tower train marks end of Welsh coal era at Aberthaw". BBC. 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Old tracks could see trains again". 6 November 2009.
- ^ "Aberdare-to-Hirwaun rail line set to reopen". 24 March 2011.
- ^ Gupwell, Katie-Ann (2 July 2020). "Brand new train station to be built as part of £2m valleys railway line improvements - Wales Online". Wales Online. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "The case for expanding the rail network" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro consultation" (PDF). Welsh Government. 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
References
- Body, G. (1983), PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Western Region, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 0-85059-546-0
- Page, J. (1988), forgotten Railways: Volume 8 - South Wales (2nd Ed), David & Charles Publishers, Newton Abbott, ISBN 0-946537-44-5
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Llwydcoed | Merthyr High Street , 1853
|
Rhigos Halt | ||
Trecynon Halt | Vale of Neath Railway Aberdare branch to Aberdare, 1851 |
Terminus | ||
Black Lion Crossing | Aberdare Railway (Taff Vale Railway) |
Terminus |