VALLEYS RAIL WORK ON COURSE

Wednesday 16 Jan 2008

VALLEYS RAIL WORK ON COURSE

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Southern: Wessex; | Wales & Western; | Southern

The £18.5 million project by the Welsh Assembly Government to extend platforms, increase capacity and provide more frequent services on the Cardiff Valleys lines reaches a vital stage next month when Network Rail carries out more work on the Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil branches. From the early hours of Saturday 2, until start of services on Thursday 7 February, a massive programme of work will include:- · Replacement of the temporary platform at Abercynon South with a permanent structure · Removing the existing seats, waiting shelter, lighting and platform at Abercynon North and replacing it with a temporary platform built to a new height, and reinstating the passenger facilities · Removing and relaying a section of track at Abercynon and installing new crossovers and switching units, used to change trains from one line to another. This will lead to the possibility of improved frequency of trains at a later date · Installing new signalling equipment at various locations on both routes As a result of the work, a replacement bus service will be in operation between Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd and Aberdare between Saturday 2 February and Wednesday 6 February (inclusive). Arriva Trains Wales has said passengers will need to travel earlier as their normal journey will take longer. Train services between Cardiff Central and Pontypridd and Treherbert will run as normal. Replacement buses are not always able to convey prams, dogs, cycles and large items of luggage. If you are a wheelchair user or have special requirements please ring Arriva Trains Wales Journey Care Line on 0845 300 3005 or contact ATW’s Customer Relations Department on 0845 6061 660. Full details of train service alterations can be obtained by calling National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50, by visiting www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk and on posters at the stations concerned.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre