Rhymney railway station

Rhymney Welsh: Rhymni
Rhymney Station in December 2018
General information
Location	Rhymney, Caerphilly Wales
Coordinates	51°45′32″N 3°17′23″W
Grid reference	SO110074
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	RHY
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	31 March 1858
Passengers
2018/19	0.182 million
2019/20	0.162 million
2020/21	10,960
2021/22	53,116
2022/23	93,524
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Rhymney railway station serves the town of Rhymney in Wales. Situated on the Valley Lines network 23 miles (37 km) north of Cardiff Central, it is the terminus of the Rhymney Line. The station has sidings to the west of its single platform which are used for the overnight stabling of the diesel multiple unit trains

History

Rhymney station in 1962

The railway south from here was opened by the Rhymney Railway in 1858 as far as Hengoed and Walnut Tree Junction (giving access to Cardiff Central via the Taff Vale Railway by 1864), with a link northwards to Rhymney Bridge (on the Merthyr to Abergavenny 'Heads of the Valley' line) following in 1871. This was operated jointly with the London and North Western Railway. In the same year the current route through Caerphilly was opened by the Rhymney company, removing the need for its trains to use TVR metals to reach Cardiff. Services to the north ended in 1953 with the closure of the joint line to Rhymney Bridge to passenger traffic (with complete closure following in November 1954). The section down to Bargoed was also subsequently singled and the station reduced in size, with the decommissioning of the old island platform. This remained intact but disused for many years, but was demolished in 2007 when the stabling sidings were relaid and re-aligned.

Services

On Mondays to Saturdays there are two trains per hour from Rhymney to Barry Island or Bridgend at xx11 and xx45 every hour calling at Pontlottyn, Tir-Phil, Brithdir, Bargoed, Pengam, Hengoed, Ystrad Mynach, Llanbradach, Energlyn & Churchill Park, Aber, Caerphilly, Lisvane and Thornhill, Llanishen, Heath High Level, Cardiff Queen Street, Cardiff Central, Grangetown, Cogan, Eastbrook, Dinas Powys, Cadoxton, Barry Docks, Barry, and Barry Island, with the xx45 service omitting Barry Island and instead continuing on to Rhoose Cardiff International Airport, Llantwit Major, and Bridgend. Journeys to Cardiff take (on average) 55–60 minutes and 100-110 minutes to Barry Island or 110-120 minutes to Bridgend

From December 2013 the train service frequency was due to be upgraded to every 30 minutes off-peak each weekday due to the construction & commissioning of a loop at Tir-Phil, the extra service being a continuation of one of the 3 trains per hour that currently terminate at Bargoed. However a lack of rolling stock prevented this taking placed as originally planned and the frequency remained hourly (with additional weekday peak departures) until May 2024. From May 2024 as a part of the South Wales Metro Timetable changes the weekday day time services to and from Rhymney were increased to two per hour; the Rhymney Valley line trains were also decoupled from the Cardiff to Penarth service and instead coupled with the Cardiff to Barry Island/Bridgend service, with one train per hour from Rhymney travelling to Barry Island, and one to Bridgend, via Barry and Llantwit Major.

On Sundays, services run to Barry Island on a two-hourly frequency.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		Transport for Wales Rhymney Line		Pontlottyn or Bargoed
	Disused railways
Rhymney Bridge Line and station closed		London and North Western Railway and Rhymney Railway Nantybwch and Rhymney Joint Line		Pontlottyn Line and station open

External links

• Train times and station information for Rhymney railway station from National Rail
• RAILSCOT - Photographs of Rhymney