Pontyclun railway station

File:Llantrisant Talyllyn & Three Cocks RJD 72.jpg junction diagram showing (left) railways in the vicinity of Pontyclun (shown here as Llantrisant). GWR in yellow; TVR in green.|222x222px]]

The first section of the South Wales Railway (SWR), that between {{stnlnk|Chepstow}} and {{stnlnk|Swansea}}, opened on 18 June 1850.{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E. T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863 |year=1927 |publisher=Great Western Railway |location=Paddington |pages=303, 563, 865 }} The original stations on that line included one named Llantrissant for Cowbridge.{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=147 }}

The station became a junction with the opening of the first section of the Ely Valley Railway (EVR) to Tonyrefail on 2 August 1860,{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|p=861}} although passenger services along that line did not begin until 1 August 1865.{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863-1921 |year=1931 |publisher=Great Western Railway |location=Paddington |oclc=55853736 |pages=82–83, 616 }} The EVR opened a branch to Brofiskin Colliery in 1862,{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|p=862}} and another railway, the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway, which opened in December 1863,{{cite book |last=Awdry |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Awdry |title=Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies |year=1990 |publisher=Guild Publishing |location=London |id=CN 8983 |page=32 }} intended to use part of that branch to gain access to Llantrisant via a connection at Maesaraul Junction, but in order to do this, the Brofiskin branch had to be altered to mixed gauge – this occurred in December 1864.{{harvnb|MacDermot|1931|p=596}}

File:Llantrisant (Pontyclun) railway station geograph-2135546.jpgThe station name was simplified to Llantrissant {{circa|1866}}, by which time the SWR had amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1863.{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|p=586}} Adjacent to this station was the terminus of the Cowbridge Railway, which opened on 18 September 1865, originally being named Llantrissant. The Cowbridge Railway was leased by the Taff Vale Railway (TVR) in 1876, and absorbed by that concern in 1889.{{harvnb|Awdry|1990|pp=23–24}} Both the GWR and TVR stations had their names amended to Llantrisant by 1902. The TVR in its turn amalgamated with the GWR on 1 January 1922, and on 21 September 1925 their respective stations were merged as a single station.

Llantrisant was a major intermediate station on the South Wales Main Line. It consisted of two central through platforms and bays for the Ely Valley line, the Llantrisant & Taff Vale Junction line and the branch to Cowbridge and Aberthaw.{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=C |year=1996 |title=The Llantrisant Branches of the Taff Vale Railway |publisher=The Oakwood Press |isbn=0-85361-481-4 }} The station was closed on 2 November 1964. Under the auspices of Regional Railways sector of British Rail and Mid Glamorgan the station was reopened. The station was rebuilt and reopened as Pontyclun on 28 September 1992.{{harvnb|Butt|1995|p=188}}

Extensive sidings existed around the station for the coal and mineral traffic generated by the mines in the area. At least the line to Cwm Colliery was in regular use until 1984.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

A single track railway runs north from Pontyclun station - the remnants of the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway. The track turns east at Talbot Green to run roughly parallel to the Afon Clun, alongside the north of the A473, which runs between Pontypridd and Bridgend. At Cross Inn the track turns north east, running south of Llantrisant and north of Caerau Hillfort, an Iron Age enclosure. Originally, it ran to the Cwm Coking Works at Tynant, Beddau, just past the former station Llantwit Fardre, although the track has been totally dismantled and the trackbed is now a cycle path that currently terminates at Westfield Crescent, Cross Inn. None of the original railway paraphernalia remains intact between Talbot Green and Pontyclun, apart from a footbridge with cages above the former track (to prevent people throwing things (or themselves) onto the trains, tracks or coal wagons) that crosses the A473 where it meets the A4222 near Leekes. The track remains embedded in the road where it crosses the A473, and warning lights were at the roadside and road signs warned drivers to stop if they saw warning lights flash at the level crossing but these were removed during construction of the cycle path. A consultative study in 2006 (Sewta Rail Strategy Study) considered the possibility of reopening the Pontyclun to Beddau branch line, as a passenger line rather than just for freight. This would require new stations at Talbot Green, Llantrisant, Gwaun Meisgyn and Beddau (Tynant).{{cite web|title=Sewta Rail Strategy Study |url=http://www.sewta.gov.uk/PDF/RailStrategy.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328000111/http://www.sewta.gov.uk/PDF/RailStrategy.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2007|access-date=15 March 2015 |publisher=South East Wales Transport Alliance |year=2006 |work=Jacobs Consultancy, Sewta Rail Strategy Study}}

{{main|Llantrisant locomotive depot}}

A locomotive depot, known as Llantrisant, was situated between the station and Mwyndy Junction, on the eastern side of the curve. It housed around 20 locomotives, and closed in October 1964.{{cite book |last=Lyons |first=E.T. |title=An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947 |publisher=Oxford Publishing Co |year=1974 |isbn=0-902888-16-1 |location=Headington |page=190 |orig-year=1972}}

Pontyclun station is unstaffed. It has neither ticket gates nor barriers. The station has no ticket office. passengers can purchase tickets from the station platform self-service ticket machine, on board trains or at their destination. Both platforms have shelters. The station car park is free-of-charge to rail users.

The station has 2 platforms:

• Platform 1, for westbound trains towards Maesteg;
• Platform 2, for eastbound trains towards Cardiff.

Mondays to Saturdays there is an hourly service eastbound to {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}}, with most continuing to {{stnlnk|Newport}}, {{stnlnk|Chepstow}}, {{stnlnk|Lydney}}, {{stnlnk|Gloucester}} and Cheltenham Spa, as well as an early-morning service to Manchester via Cardiff, Newport and the Welsh Marches Line via {{stnlnk|Hereford}}, {{stnlnk|Shrewsbury}} and {{stnlnk|Crewe}}.GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 128 Westbound, services continue to {{stnlnk|Bridgend}} and {{stnlnk|Maesteg}}. These services are operated mainly by Class 170 Turbostar units.

On Sundays the service decreases slightly. There is roughly a 2-hourly service to {{stnlnk|Maesteg}} however there are also four services a day to {{stnlnk|Manchester Piccadilly}} via {{stnlnk|Hereford}} and {{stnlnk|Shrewsbury}}, the latter of which is usually operated by either Class 158 Express Sprinter or Class 175 Coradia units.

A few early morning and late evening services take the spur to {{stnlnk|Ninian Park}} to continue onto {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} alongside Canton sidings, to retain route knowledge.

{{rail start}}

{{rail line two to one|previous1=Cardiff Central |previous2={{stnlnk|Ninian Park}}
{{small|limited service}}|route=Transport for Wales
Maesteg Line |next=Llanharan |col={{KAW colour}} |lightcol= }}

{{rail line |previous=Cardiff Central |route=Transport for Wales
South Wales Main Line |next=Pencoed |col={{KAW colour}} }}

{{Disused Rail Insert}}

{{rail line |next={{stnlnk|Coed Ely}}
Line and station closed |route=Great Western Railway
Ely Valley Railway |col={{GWR colour}} }}

{{rail line |route=Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
Pontypridd-Llantrisant|next={{Stnlnk|Cross Inn}}
Line and station closed |col={{TVR colour}} }}

{{rail line ||route=Taff Vale Railway
Llantrisant-Aberthaw|next={{Stnlnk|Llanharry}}
Line and station closed |col={{TVR colour}} }}

{{Historical Rail Insert}}

{{rail line |previous={{stnlnk|Peterston}}
Line open, station closed |route=Great Western Railway
South Wales Main Line |next=Llanharan
Line and station open |col={{GWR colour}} }}

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{{Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys railway stations}}

{{Transport in Rhondda Cynon Taf}}

{{Commuter Stations: Cardiff Local Lines run by Arriva Trains Wales}}

Category:Railway stations in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Category:DfT Category F2 stations

Category:Former Great Western Railway stations

Category:Former Taff Vale Railway stations

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1865

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1964

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1992

Category:Reopened railway stations in Great Britain

Category:Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Rail

Category:South Wales Main Line

Category:Beeching closures in Wales

Category:Pontyclun