Cadoxton railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Cadoxton railway station in 2013
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| Location | Cadoxton, Vale of Glamorgan Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°24′44″N 3°14′55″W / 51.4122°N 3.2487°W |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | CAD |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| History | |
| Opened | 20 December 1888 |
| Traffic | |
| Passengers (2017/18) |  0.282 million |
| Passengers (2018/19) | 0.271 million |
| Passengers (2019/20) | 0.256 million |
| Passengers (2020/21) | 75,100 |
| Passengers (2021/22) |  0.205 million |
Cadoxton railway station is a train station in Cadoxton, near Barry in South Wales. It helps people travel to and from Cadoxton and Palmerstown. The station is about 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) south of Cardiff Central.
From Cadoxton, trains can go to Barry Island. They can also travel along the Vale of Glamorgan line to Bridgend. This route passes through Rhoose, which has a bus link to Cardiff International Airport. Today, Transport for Wales runs all the train services here.
Contents
History of Cadoxton Station
Building the Station
The Barry Railway company built and opened Cadoxton station in December 1888. A year later, in 1889, their main line opened. This line ran from Cadoxton to the Rhondda Valley. It was very busy right from the start.
Soon, another railway line joined the Barry Company's route. This was the former Taff Vale Railway's coastal line from Cogan Junction. It connected towards Cardiff Central. This whole network helped serve the new Barry Docks. These docks were built to handle goods carried by train.
Coal and Community Growth
In the early 1890s, a large train yard was built north of Cadoxton. It had 39 sidings, which are like parking spots for trains. This yard was needed to handle the huge number of coal trains. These trains brought coal down to the docks for export.
Because of all the railway work, the community of Cadoxton grew a lot. Many railway workers moved there. This meant more people used the station.
Expanding Lines and Busy Docks
More railway lines opened, making the station even busier.
- The Taff Vale Railway coastal route from Penarth opened in 1890.
- A branch line to Barry Island opened in 1896.
- The Vale of Glamorgan Line opened in 1898.
These new lines brought many more passengers and goods. Lots of people came for day trips or holidays to Barry Island. By 1910, the Barry Docks were busier than Cardiff's docks for coal exports. By 1913, they became the biggest coal export dock in the world!
Most passenger trains went to and from Cardiff. But some trains also went to Porth via Pontypridd Graig. The Vale of Glamorgan line had trains to Bridgend until 1964. Train services on the Wenvoe line were less frequent. This was to make space for all the freight trains carrying coal.
Changes After World War II
After World War II, fewer people used trains. More people started using cars. This caused a big drop in train use on all routes. Because of this, British Railways closed many lines to passengers in the 1960s.
- The Pontypridd line closed in 1962.
- The Vale of Glamorgan line closed in 1964.
- The Penarth line closed in 1968.
These closures were part of a plan called the "Beeching Axe." Only the Cardiff to Barry Island line stayed open. The line to Bridgend via Llantwit Major reopened in 2005. Today, many trains from places like Aberdare and Merthyr come through Cadoxton.
The Cadoxton-Pontypridd and Penarth-Cadoxton lines were completely closed. Their tracks were removed by 1970. The large train yard was also taken apart. The land was then used to build houses. Because of these changes, Cadoxton station now only uses two of its original four platforms.
Modern Freight Traffic
Some freight trains still pass through Cadoxton. They carry things like containers and scrap metal to parts of the docks. Other trains carry automotive parts for the Ford factory in Bridgend.
Some types of freight traffic have stopped. For example, chemical tank trains no longer run. Coal deliveries to Aberthaw Power Station also ended in 2019. The Ford factory in Bridgend also closed in 2020. However, there has been a good amount of cement delivered by rail from Aberthaw cement works.
Station Facilities
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Cadoxton station has a small car park. It is only for dropping off or picking up passengers. The station building has a ticket office. It is open six days a week. There is also a self-service ticket machine. You can use it when the office is closed or to pick up tickets you bought online. Digital screens and posters show train times.
In 2019, Network Rail started building a new footbridge. This bridge has lifts to both platforms. This makes it easier for everyone to use the station. The project was funded by the UK and Welsh Governments.
The new footbridge and lifts opened in August 2020. The station also got a new waiting shelter on platform two. The doorways to the ticket office were made wider. Special bumpy paving was added along the platform edge. A new ramp was also built from the ticket office to platform one.
Train Services
Weekdays and Saturdays
- During the day, trains run every 15 minutes northbound to Cardiff Central. Some continue to Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.
- Southbound, there are three trains per hour to Barry Island.
- An hourly service runs to Bridgend via Rhoose.
Evenings and Sundays
- In the evenings and on Sundays, trains usually run every half hour to Cardiff Central.
- In the evenings, there is an hourly service southbound to Barry Island and Bridgend.
- On Sundays, trains run every half hour to Barry Island. They run every two hours to Bridgend.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
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| Dinas Powys | Transport for Wales Vale Line |
Barry Docks | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Wenvoe Line and station closed |
Barry Railway Porth-Barry |
Barry Docks Line and station open |
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