Ebbw Vale Town railway station

Coordinates: 51°46′55″N 3°12′22″W / 51.782°N 3.206°W / 51.782; -3.206 Ebbw Vale Town railway station will serve the town centre of Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The station is expected to open in Summer 2015 and will be the new terminus of the Ebbw Valley Railway; trains currently terminate approximately 1.5 miles to the south at Ebbw Vale Parkway. There will be an hourly service, Monday - Saturday, to Cardiff Central, and an appoximately two-hourly service on Sundays.^[1]

Under the proposals of stage two of the project a half-hourly service would be introduced and a two-platform station would be built as the northern terminus of the line, close to the old British Steel General Office Site part of "the Works" development. The station under construction will, however, have only one platform.

In the 2008 Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy the link between Ebbw Vale and Newport was identified for implementation in the period 2009-2018. The project depends on future funding and the future infrastructure works in the Newport and Crosskeys to Llanhilleth area.

A feasibility study for stage two was under way. Funding for the project would come from the Welsh Assembly Government and many other stakeholders. Significant obstacles must be overcome before the second hourly service can be introduced, and for the time being the enhancement is viewed as an "aspiration".

In May 2013 the Welsh Government announced that the Ebbw Vale line would be extended from the existing terminus at Ebbw Vale Parkway to the new station at Ebbw Vale Town. At total of £11.5 million has been agreed, not only to fund the station but also for the surrounding areas as well as the line. Two weeks later, funding was also agreed for Pye Corner railway station, also along the line.^[2][3]

The Ebbw Vale Town Station extension should be complete by Spring 2015, with additional passing loops and track infrastructure following by 2018. This will pave the way for more services on the branch: whether to Newport, Cardiff or both is yet to be decided.^[4]

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