Abercynon railway station

Abercynon
An Arriva Trains Wales Class 150 Sprinter at the station in May 2016
General information
Location	Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales
Coordinates	51°38′35″N 3°19′46″W / 51.6431°N 3.3294°W / 51.6431; -3.3294
Grid reference	ST082948
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	ACY
Classification	DfT category F1
Key dates
9 October 1840	Station opens as Navigation House
6 August 1846	Renamed Aberdare Junction
1 December 1896	Renamed Abercynon
3 October 1988	Renamed Abercynon South upon opening of Abercynon North
2008	Renamed Abercynon upon merger with Abercynon North
Passengers
2019/20	0.283 million
Interchange	29,079
2020/21	33,006
Interchange	1,887
2021/22	0.105 million
Interchange	11,592
2022/23	0.135 million
Interchange	15,581
2023/24	0.145 million
Interchange	15,129
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Abercynon railway station serves the village of Abercynon in the Cynon Valley, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr Line, 15.5 miles (25 km) north of Cardiff Central. Passenger services are provided by Transport for Wales.

The station was first opened on this site as Navigation Road in 1840 and was then renamed Aberdare Junction by the Taff Vale Railway in 1846. It was further renamed Abercynon in 1896 and to Abercynon South in 1988.

The original station buildings, including the Great Western Railway signal box of 1932 which originally came from Birmingham Moor Street station,^[1] have been demolished, with the signal box being demolished near the end of 2013.

In November 2007, a proposal was submitted by the Welsh Assembly Government to discontinue all services provided at Abercynon North. From a date "no sooner than 1st May 2008" as the notice ran, all services were to be transferred to Abercynon South, which would be rebuilt (with the reinstatement of the disused up side of the island platform) to accommodate all services serving both stations.^[2]

Following the merger of Abercynon North and South, the latter station's name reverted to simply Abercynon.

On 14 December 2010, a free Park and Ride car park opened on the site of the station yard, with capacity for 160 cars. It was hoped to improve commuter travel to Cardiff and other areas on the Valley Lines network. This was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Regional Development Fund.^[3]

On 26 and 27 April 2012, the British Royal Train visited the station as part of the tour of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.^{[4][dead link‍]} The train had to stop at Abercynon due to the tight curves on the line, with the Royals continuing their journey by road.

In October 2013, the Signal Box, which had been out of use since the aforementioned 2008 remodelling and resignalling,^[5]) was removed. A new Ticket Vending Machine was installed on the station to enable travellers to purchase tickets before boarding a train as well printing tickets for pre-booked journeys. The layout is currently controlled from an interim signalling centre next to the up (Cardiff-bound) platform. This was due to hand over control to the Cardiff Rail Operating Centre in 2014 as part of the wider modernisation of the area ahead of electrification of the Valley Lines network, but still appears to be under control.

On 21 February 2015, a blue plaque was unveiled at the station entrance to mark the location of trade unionist John Ewington's workplace. His claim against his employer, the Taff Vale Railway Company for unfair treatment led to the famous Taff Vale Case which was fundamental in the creation of the Labour Party.^[6]

In February 2016, work started at the station to improve the facilities ahead of the South Wales Metro system. Work included the installation of an extra shelter and a bike shelter where the old signal box stood.^[7] Transport for Wales replaced an existing shelter with a larger one, including TfW branding, in spring 2019.

In December 2017, Rhondda Cynon Taff funded the expansion of the car park to increase the number of spaces for users. There are future plans to further increase the number of spaces which is a reflection of the popularity of the site for commuters.^[8]

In April 2019, Rhondda Cynon Taf council opened a further extension to the car park. An extra 310 spaces have been built in the nearby Navigation Park to cater for future increase in demand. Other work included adapting the footpath to the station and adding a bus stop in the existing car park. The council also installed signs at both entrances explaining the history of Abercynon and its transport history. The project was funded by the Welsh Government.^[9]

In October 2018, it was announced that the South Wales Metro would receive £119 million from the European Union. Some of this money is earmarked for doubling the line from Abercynon and Aberdare and from Abercynon to Merthyr Tydfil. Extra platforms would also be built to handle the extra services.^[10]

Legend

Tower Colliery Hirwaun Trecynon Halt Aberdare Cwmbach Abercwmboi Halt Fernhill Mountain Ash Penrhiwceiber Matthewstown Halt Pontcynon Halt Merthyr Tydfil Pentre-bach Troed-y-rhiw Merthyr Vale Quakers Yard Abercynon North Abercynon Rhondda line Pontypridd Treforest Treforest Estate Taffs Well Radyr City Line Llandaf Cathays Coryton & Rhymney lines Cardiff Queen Street Butetown branch line Cardiff Central South Wales Main Line Vale of Glamorgan Line

There are four trains per hour in each direction on Mondays to Saturdays: northbound to Aberdare and southbound to Merthyr Tydfil via Cardiff Central.^[12]

On Sundays, there are two trains per hour in each direction: northbound to Aberdare and to Merthyr Tydfil, with two southbound to Cardiff Central. The increase in the Sunday service frequency is due to a campaign by the local Assembly Member and a successful trial in December 2017; the extra services began in April 2018.^[13]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Pontypridd		Transport for Wales Merthyr Line		Quakers Yard
		Transport for Wales Aberdare Branch		Penrhiwceiber

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abercynon railway station.

• Train times and station information for Abercynon railway station from National Rail

• Abercynon station on navigable O.S. map