Merthyr Tydfil railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Merthyr Tydfil railway station in 2014
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| Location | Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°44′40″N 3°22′38″W / 51.7444°N 3.3773°W |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | MER |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| History | |
| Opened | 2 November 1853 |
| Traffic | |
| Passengers (2017/18) |  0.512 million |
| Passengers (2018/19) | 0.500 million |
| Passengers (2019/20) | 0.459 million |
| Passengers (2020/21) | 70,798 |
| Passengers (2021/22) |  0.235 million |
Merthyr Tydfil railway station is a train station located in the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. It is the very last stop, or terminus, on the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line. The train services here are run by Transport for Wales.
The station has one platform where passengers get on and off trains. It is conveniently located close to the Tesco Superstore in the town. You'll find a small car park, a ticket office, and screens that show when trains are coming. There's also a place for taxis. If you need to catch a bus, you'll need to walk through the town to the main bus station.
Since May 2009, trains have been able to arrive and leave the station every half hour. This became possible after a special extra track, called a passing loop, was added near Merthyr Vale.
Contents
A Look Back: Merthyr Tydfil Station's History
The first train station in Merthyr Tydfil opened on April 21, 1841. It was built by the Taff Vale Railway company on Plymouth Street. This was an important step in building the main railway line from Navigation House, which is now called Abercynon. This first station closed on August 1, 1877. After that, all Taff Vale passenger trains started using the Great Western Railway station at Merthyr High Street instead.
The High Street Station Era
In 1853, the Merthyr High Street railway station opened. It was designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This station had two platforms and used a special wide track called a broad gauge line, which was 7 feet wide. The entire station was covered by a large roof.
The Vale of Neath Railway, which built this station, also connected to the Swansea and Neath Railway. This meant trains could travel all the way to Swansea docks. Later, on February 1, 1865, the Vale of Neath Railway joined with the Great Western Railway. This allowed trains to run directly from Merthyr to London Paddington.
Many Railways, One Station
Even though other railway companies had their own stations in Merthyr, things changed in 1863. A third rail was added to the Vale of Neath system, creating a mixed gauge track. This meant trains with both wide and standard tracks could use the same lines. Because of this, many railway companies started using Merthyr High Street station:
- Great Western Railway: Trains came from Hereford and went through to Swansea.
- Taff Vale: Trains went to Cardiff. They moved here from their own Plymouth Street station in 1877.
- Brecon & Merthyr: Trains continued onwards to Brecon.
- Rhymney Railway
- London & North Western: Trains went to the Midlands and Swansea.
- Cambrian Railways: Services from Cardiff or Treherbert went to Aberystwyth.
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On May 11, 1872, the entire Great Western system switched to standard gauge tracks. After this, a thin central platform was added to the station, giving it two more platforms.
Modern Station Changes
After steam trains stopped running and most railway lines into the station closed between 1951 and 1964, the station was rebuilt. In 1974, British Rail created new passenger facilities on a different part of the original site. This new station had a single island platform with two sides for trains.
However, the station was rebuilt again in 1996. This time, it was made smaller, with just one platform, which is what you see today. A large Tesco superstore and other shops now stand where the rest of the old station used to be.
Train Services Today
As mentioned, trains now run every half hour to and from Cardiff Central on weekdays and Saturdays. From Cardiff, these trains continue on to Barry. They then go alternately to either Barry Island or Bridgend using the Vale of Glamorgan Line. On Sundays, trains run every two hours, following the same routes from Barry Island and to Bridgend.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentre-bach | Transport for Wales Merthyr Line |
Terminus | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Merthyr (Plymouth Street) Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway Vale of Neath Railway |
Terminus | ||
