The Cardiff City Line is a
commuter railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
that runs between and via .
History
The line was opened by the
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in st ...
in 1859, as part of its route from to the
docks at
Penarth. Subsequent construction by the TVR added links to and to the Extension Railway by 1878. Originally the line was freight-only, but over the years saw regular use for empty passenger trains thanks to its links with the depot at
Cardiff Canton TMD
Cardiff Canton TMD ( cy, Depo Cynnal a Chadw Treganna Caerdydd) is a diesel locomotive traction maintenance depot in Cardiff, Wales. Its depot code is CF. It is operated by Transport for Wales. The depot is used by Transport for Wales fleet an ...
and also for football specials to
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...
stadium and periodic engineering diversions.
The first regular passenger service was introduced to the line on 5 October 1987, when three new stations were opened at , and , and regular service was introduced to the previously existing station. The new service was introduced by
British Rail in co-operation with the
Mid Glamorgan
, Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council
, Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–)
, Start= 1974
, End= 1996
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
and
South Glamorgan
, Government= South Glamorgan County Council
, Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–)
, Start= 1974
, End= 1996
, Arms=
, HQ= ...
County Councils.
Services
There are currently trains every half hour which drop to every hour in the evenings on Mondays-Saturdays. There is no Sunday service on the line.
Services normally continue to via the
Coryton Line
The Coryton Line is a commuter railway line in Cardiff from the city centre to Heath, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch and Coryton. It was originally opened as part of the main line of the Cardiff Railway.
The line is operated by Trans ...
.
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
currently operates the line as part of the former
Valley Lines
Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes ( cy, Llwybrau Lleol y Cymoedd a Chaerdydd) (formerly Valley Lines) is the network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glam ...
network. TfW succeeded the previous franchisee
Arriva Trains Wales in October 2018. Some freight services also use the line.
The line is also used as a diversionary route for trains serving , and when the line between and Radyr is closed for engineering work. In the past there were shuttle trains on the line to serve and beyond with one stop at .
Trains
TfW operates the line with
diesel multiple units of
Sprinter classes
150 and
153.
Electrification
On 16 July 2012 the
Department for Transport announced plans to electrify the line. This will require new
electric multiple unit trains and should reduce journey times, operating costs and maintenance costs. Work was expected to start between 2014 and 2019, but was pushed back to between 2019 and 2024.
The announcement was made as an extension of the electrification of the
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...
from to and the electrification of the south Wales
Valley Lines
Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes ( cy, Llwybrau Lleol y Cymoedd a Chaerdydd) (formerly Valley Lines) is the network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glam ...
at a total cost of £350 million.
This in turn is part of a £9.4 billion investment in railways in England and Wales.
However, these plans have since been replaced by Welsh Government's
South Wales Metro
The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network in South East Wales around the hub of . The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are current ...
. This line has been partially taken over, and is now being electrified.
See also
*
List of railway stations in Cardiff
This is a list of railway stations in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It only includes passenger heavy rail stations with timetabled services.
Rail operators
All 20 stations in Cardiff are owned by Network Rail and managed by Transport for Wales ...
References
{{South Wales Metro
Railway lines in Wales
City Line
Railway lines opened in 1987