12 Dec 2021
For the first time in almost 60 years passengers will benefit from direct train services between Crosskeys and Newport as part of Transport for Wales’ (TfW) December 2021 timetable uplift and development of the South Wales Metro.
Previously, passengers wishing to travel from Crosskeys to Newport would have had to travel on the direct services into Cardiff and then change trains to continue to Newport. However, from Sunday 12 December, there will be a new hourly service between Crosskeys and Newport until 21:20, Monday to Saturday, and the service will run every two hours on Sundays. Services will also call at Risca and Pontymister, Rogerstone and Pye Corner stations.
The reintroduction of the route, which ceased in April 1962 following the closure of the Ebbw Vale Line to passengers, has been made possible with a £1.2 million investment to upgrade the Ebbw Vale Line, which has been achieved thanks to collaborative working between TfW and Network Rail.
Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said: “It’s great to see this finally getting underway after a long campaign by locals. We’re keen to extend the service to Ebbw Vale as soon as possible as part of an upgrading of the public transport system across the region.”
Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at TfW, said: “Restoring direct services between the lower Ebbw Valley and Newport has been an important ambition for us and we are delighted passengers will now benefit from the hard work undertaken to make this happen. It is also an important step in the development of the South Wales Metro, as plans develop to further improve the Ebbw Vale Line.”
Bill Kelly, route director for Network Rail Wales and Borders, added: “The reopening of the Ebbw Vale line was fundamental to sparking the railway renaissance in Wales so it’s fantastic to be building on that success with this new direct service to and from Newport.
“We’re working with the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and other partners to deliver more frequent services on the Ebbw Vale line in future and this is a hugely important milestone towards that.
"The enhancement of services will affect the frequency of trains passing over three level crossings along the line: Risca, Tymelin and Kings Head level crossings. Users of these crossings are advised to check the new timetable before using the crossings for their own safety."
Notes to editors
Please note the planned media event at Newport Railway Station on Monday 13th December at 7am is no longer taking place. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
- Additional plans are being developed to provide further upgrades to the Ebbw Vale Line, to deliver the Welsh Government’s aspiration to extend the Newport to Crosskeys services to Ebbw Vale Town and reopen the branch line to Abertillery.
- Services between Ebbw Vale, Cardiff and Newport will form part of the South Wales Metro. The Metro will significantly improve connectivity throughout South Wales and provide access to jobs, leisure and other opportunities for the people of Wales, through unifying rail, bus and active travel routes.
- The work to reintroduce this route has been developed in parallel to TfW’s three-quarters-of-a-billion-pound upgrade of the Core Valleys Lines across the South Wales valleys.
