‘End of an era’: Last coal train travels through the borough

The last train carrying coal from a controversial mine has passed through Caerphilly County Borough.

The train transported coal from Cwmbargoed Disposal Point to Port Talbot on February 23.

It travelled down the Taff Bargoed valley and through Ystrad Mynach.

It was carrying a load from the UK’s last opencast mine, Ffos y Fran, which closed in November 2023.

The mine caused controversy before it closed after its owner, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, continued digging despite planning permission expiring.

Coal in south Wales valleys
The south Wales valleys have a rich history of coal production that dates back to the 18th century.

Coal helped to fuel production as the local iron and steel industries boomed.


Demand increased throughout the 19th century and Welsh coal became a key product with towns and villages shaped in its shadows.

By 1913, the Welsh mines produced 36 million tonnes of coal – more than any other time in the country’s industrial history.

Caerphilly played its part in mining history, with collieries in towns and villages across the borough.


The Welsh Government have been in negotiations with Tata Steel at Port Talbot for the past twelve months over the fact that the Steel works were losing vast sums of money the Welsh government could of extended the Licence for extracting coal at Ffos Y Fran but they didn't Tata now have to in-port coal from overseas to produce steel where was the Welsh Governments sense I know we have to reduce the burning of fossil fuels the is a economic issue here as well as protecting jobs.