Tonypandy railway station

Tonypandy
General information
LocationTonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Wales
Coordinates51°37′12″N 3°26′57″W / 51.6200°N 3.4492°W / 51.6200; -3.4492
Grid referenceSS997922
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeTNP[1]
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
OpenedMarch 1908
Passengers
2020/21 15,962
2021/22 61,340
2022/23 78,860
2023/24 42,802
2024/25 0.112 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Tonypandy railway station is a railway station serving the town of Tonypandy in south Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line, between Llywynypia and Dinas Rhondda, 18 mileschains (29.0 km) from Cardiff Docks (Bute Town).[2]

History

The original Pandy station was opened in 1841 by the Taff Vale Railway, and was situated opposite Walter Coffin's Dinas Middle Colliery. The station was closed in 1886 and later demolished, to be replaced by Dinas Station, built about 200 yards to the north. The original station, then known as Trealaw and Tonypandy, was built of red bricks and opened on 9 March 1908.[3] It was opposite the entrance to Foundry Road at the centre of two bridges (one of which crossed the river to Tonypandy and the other which crossed the railway lines to Judges’ Hall and to Trealaw).[4][5] One year later the name was changed to Tonypandy and Trealaw, and then to its current name on 7 May 1973.[3]

Location

The station is accessible via a ramp from Trealaw Road[6] and via a footpath over the Rhondda River from Bridge Street.[7] The station is noted for having poor connectivity within the town and to the local bus station.[7]

Facilities

The station has a dot matrix departure screen, a ticket machine, and a waiting area. There is no help point, nor any cycle spaces.[6]

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Tonypandy[8]
2002–03 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 143,240 83,745 71,578 84,926 78,305 82,566 94,942 77,796 79,600 88,770 79,290 82,396 82,036 114,840 110,928 102,630 93,486 15,962 61,340 78,860

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

Monday-Saturday, there is a half-hourly service to Pontypridd & Cardiff Central southbound and to Treherbert northbound. There is a two hourly service in each direction on Sundays, with through trains to Barry Island southbound.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11] Rail services resumed at the station on 26 February 2024 following completion of the majority of the infrastructure works.[12]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Dinas Rhondda   Transport for Wales
Rhondda Line
  Llwynypia

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. ^ a b Quick 2023, p. 453.
  4. ^ WalesOnline (6 March 2008). "Looking back 100 years since station's opening". Wales Online. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. ^ Hutton, John (2006). The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 2. Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-250-7.
  6. ^ a b "Tonypandy Station | Train Times | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Tonypandy Town Centre: Town Centre Strategy" (PDF). rctcbc.moderngov.co.uk. The Urbanists. June 2025. p. 32. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ^ GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 130
  10. ^ "Extra Sunday services between Treherbert and Barry Island". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Metro service changes | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  12. ^ Johnson, Thomas (26 February 2024). "Treherbert Line reopens to passenger traffic after nine month transformation". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 14 March 2026.

Bibliography