Friday 19 May 2023
Passengers reminded to check before travelling as transformation of Ebbw Vale line continues
- Region & Route:
- Wales & Western: Wales & Borders
Network Rail and Transport for Wales are urging passengers to plan ahead during a 19-day temporary closure of the line in May and June.
Engineers from Network Rail’s internal construction team will carry out track upgrades at various points between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg, to continue the creation of a seven-mile loop to enable trains to pass in the future.
Amco Giffen, one of the principal contractors, will continue the enhancements at Llanhilleth and Newbridge stations to extend the existing platforms and construct the brand-new platforms.
Elsewhere on the line, contractors at Siemens will continue to upgrade the signalling around the Park Junction area.
This is all part of the multi-million-pound investment to provide an additional service to Newport in the future.
Transport for Wales will be running a bus service between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central from Wednesday 24 May to Sunday 11 June and passengers are urged to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Nick Millington, Route Director at Network Rail Wales and Borders said: “I’m pleased that we’re making good progress with the delivery of this major project by reaching another key milestone.
“Once complete, this project will transform services on this line, bringing a direct service to Newport.
“I’d like to thank passengers and local communities for bearing with us over this 19-day period, to allow us to carry out the large volumes of work as safely as possible.”
Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, Chief Operations Officer at Transport for Wales said: “The multi-million-pound investment into the Ebbw Vale line will allow us to run more frequent and more reliable services in the near future, bringing significant benefits to our customers.
“We understand rail replacement services can be frustrating in the short term, but the overall benefits will be worthwhile.
“We thank our customers for their understanding and patience while this vital work is taking place.”
Notes to Editors
This £70m project has been funded by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council via a loan from the Welsh Government. The Department for Transport and Network Rail are providing a further £17m of funding to deliver the signalling upgrade and renewal work.
Further line closures will take place on the following dates:
- Sunday 18 June
- Sunday 25 June
- Sunday 2 July
- Sunday 9 July
- Sunday 16 July
On the weekend of 10 and 11 June, major track work is taking place in the Severn Tunnel so there will be disruption for passengers between Cardiff and Bristol Parkway. Passengers are being urged to check before travelling on the mainline, as well as on the Ebbw Vale branch line.
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