Tondu railway station
Tondu  | |
|---|---|
|
Looking north along the platform towards Maesteg. | |
| Location | |
| Place | Tondu |
| Local authority | Bridgend |
| Coordinates | 51°32′51″N 3°35′43″W / 51.5474°N 3.5952°WCoordinates: 51°32′51″N 3°35′43″W / 51.5474°N 3.5952°W |
| Grid reference | SS894843 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | TDU |
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2004/05 | 28,396 |
| 2005/06 |
 28,869 |
| 2006/07 |
30,919 |
| 2007/08 |
 28,371 |
| 2008/09 |
29,572 |
| 2009/10 |
30,238 |
| 2010/11 |
36,110 |
| 2011/12 |
36,668 |
| 2012/13 |
41,220 |
| 2013/14 |
56,864 |
| History | |
| Original company | Llynvi Valley Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| 25 February 1864 | Opened |
| 22 June 1970 | Closed |
| 28 September 1992 | Reopened |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Tondu from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
| UK Railways portal | |
Tondu railway station is a railway station serving the town of Tondu, Bridgend county borough, South Wales. It located on the Maesteg Line from Cardiff via Bridgend.
Passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales as part of the Valley Lines network for local services.
History
The station was opened by the Llynvi Valley Railway on 25 February 1864.[1] Originally developed as part of the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway, it was a junction of six railway lines:
- The Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway from Porthcawl to Maesteg
- The Maesteg Line to Bridgend, connecting to the South Wales Main Line
- The Ogmore Valley Railway to Brynmenyn
- The Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company to Port Talbot docks and Pontyrhyl
- The Garw Valley Railway to Brynmenyn and onwards to the Blaengarw and International collieries
It hence had an extensive set of railway workshops, and was also the junction access point for the Tondu Ironworks. Enough traffic flowed through the junction to warrant a size-able locomotive shed. The original Ogmore Valley Railway shed was demolished in 1889 to make way for a roundhouse shed, which later became home to various Great Western Railway allocated tank engines. [2]
The ironworks shut from 1895 onwards, but the previous developments meant that it remained an important junction with the installation of a wagon works for the collieries in the area. After the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, and the closure of the Blaengarw and International collieries in the late 1980s, the station and lines were greatly rationalised. The locomotive shed closed into the late-sixties. Tondu station was closed on 22 June 1970, and was reopened on 28 September 1992.[1] British Rail and Mid Glamorgan County Council reopened the line.
The current passing loop is still controlled by the former Tondu junction signal box, which manually controls the line using semaphore signals. As well as the former Maesteg Line, the former Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company line exists as a freight-only by-pass line to Margam. Passenger trains would sometimes be diverted through this branch-line whenever the main-line between Bridgend and Port Talbot was closed for engineering work. Trains were diverted to travel via and reverse at Tondu. [3] Nowadays, when the main-line is closed, bus services will replace train services as the old branch has speed restrictions of 5-15mph in force.
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarn | Arriva Trains Wales Maesteg Line |
Garth | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Sarn | Great Western Railway Maesteg Line |
Llangynwyd Line open, station closed. | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 231. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffytank/6955608730/
- ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/123410911@N03/16059618079/
External links
- Train times and station information for Tondu railway station from National Rail
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