Why Build On Old Railway Lines

Watching a recent Vlog on Y-tube regarding a local railway line lost in my locality many years ago, it connected my home town to Newport, I put the Blogger right about a side line which simply went to carriage sheds.

Emotions took over when I sat down and realised my home town of Caerphilly has at least doubled in size since that railway line closed, prodictions from Caerphilly Council suggest Caerphilly will again double in size over the next ten years, so I ask the question why have we built on old railway lines, surely planners should of taken expansion into consideration.

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senghenydd · M

Hey guys listen to this - The draft Regional Transport Plan for the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) proposes a tram-train service between Caerphilly and Newport, utilising the freight-only line from Machen to the Ebbw Vale line south of Pye Corner.

The draft RTP was produced by the region’s Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), a statutory grouping of 10 local authorities. Welsh local authorities are not directly involved in the rail network but have initiated many station and line reopenings and service enhancements since the 1980s. “It is vital that our RTP sets out regional aspirations for rail, as these are key to supporting the wider aspirations for improved connectivity across CCR,” says the CJC.

Priority rail schemes include: “Reconnection of Caerphilly with Newport using the Machen freight line and tram-train services, the on-street tramway capability of which can be applied in Newport to avoid conflicts with the congested SWML [South Wales main line] and support regeneration in Newport.”

The freight line is used for infrequent trains from Machen quarry. West of Machen, much of the former route to Caerphilly has been lost. However, the former double-track line from Machen to Bargoed was singled and retained as far as Bedwas colliery until the 1980s. Most of the trackbed to Bedwas is now an active travel route.