Porth railway station

Porth
General information
LocationPorth, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Wales
Coordinates51°36′45″N 3°24′27″W / 51.6124°N 3.4075°W / 51.6124; -3.4075
Grid referenceST025913
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePOR[1]
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Opened1876
Original companyTaff Vale Railway
Pre-groupingTaff Vale Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
4 February 1861First station opened
1 July 1876Station resited
Passengers
2020/21 35,772
2021/22 0.123 million
2022/23 0.152 million
2023/24 75,888
2024/25 0.225 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Porth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line, between Trehafod and Dinas Rhondda, 16 miles 9 chains (25.9 km) from Cardiff Docks (Bute Town).[2]

History

The original station was opened on 4 February 1861 by the Taff Vale Railway;[3] the line had been open since 10 June 1841.[4] On 1 July 1876, the original station was closed, being replaced by a new one to the south of the junction with the Maerdy line.[5] The line to Treherbert was singled north of here in 1981 and most of the 1876 station buildings were replaced in 1984–85.[6]

A passenger service between Porth and Barry was introduced by the Barry Railway on 16 March 1896, running via Pontypridd Graig and Treforest High Level,[7] but this ended in 1930 when the service was re-routed via the TVR station at Pontypridd.

An unusual ground level signal box was installed at the station when the Treherbert line was reduced to single track, replacing a much more substantial TVR structure.[8] This holds the distinction of the being the last new mechanical box to be built by British Rail.[9]

Facilities

The station has a ticket office and ticket machine, a car park and bicycle spaces, toilets, waiting shelters and dot matrix departure screens. There is some step free access from the street, and between the platforms using the footbridge.[10]

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Porth[11]
2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Entries and exits 315,402 293,184 271,147 279,789 284,040 299,430 297,554 298,258 302,886 307,254 313,730 313,692 341,742 355,330 344,100 310,670 35,772 122,578 151,692

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

Monday-Saturday, there is a half-hourly service to Cardiff Central via Pontypridd and Cardiff Queen Street southbound and to Treherbert northbound, serving all stations en route except Trefforest Estate. This drops to hourly in the late evening. There is a two-hourly service in each direction on Sundays, with through trains to Barry Island.[12] On 20 July 2018, previous franchise operator Arriva Trains Wales announced a trial period of extra Sunday services on the Rhondda Line to Cardiff and Barry Island. This was in response to a survey by Leanne Wood and the success of extra Sunday services on the Merthyr Line and the Rhymney Line.[13]

The services from this station were suspended in Summer 2023, due to major route upgrade work being carried out at multiple locations as part of the Valley Lines electrification scheme. A replacement bus service operated between Pontypridd and Treherbert, calling at all local stations, until February 2024.[14] Rail services resumed at the station on 26 February 2024 following completion of the majority of the infrastructure works.[15]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Trehafod   Transport for Wales
Rhondda Line
   Dinas Rhondda
  Historical railways  
Trehafod
Line and station open 		  Barry Railway
Porth–Barry 		  Terminus
Disused railways
Trehafod
Line and station open 		  Taff Vale Railway
Maerdy Branch 		  Ynyshir
Line and station closed

References

  1. ^ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 978 1909431 26 3.
  3. ^ Butt 1995, p. 189.
  4. ^ James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 35. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  5. ^ Quick 2023, p. 374.
  6. ^ Hutton, John (2006). The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 2. Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-250-7.
  7. ^ Barrie, D.S.M. (1983) [1962]. The Barry Railway. Oakwood Library of Railway History. Salisbury: Oakwood Press. p. 171. ISBN 0-85361-236-6. OL57.
  8. ^ Rhondda Fach Junction South www.signalbox.org; Retrieved 2013-09-16
  9. ^ "Adrian the Rock - Signals in South Wales". www.roscalen.com. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Porth Station | Train Times | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  12. ^ GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 130 (Network Rail)
  13. ^ "Extra Sunday services between Treherbert and Barry Island". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Metro service changes | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  15. ^ Johnson, Thomas (26 February 2024). "Treherbert Line reopens to passenger traffic after nine month transformation". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 14 March 2026.

Bibliography

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