Llanharan railway station

Llanharan railway station serves the village of Llanharan in south Wales. Funded in part by SEWTA and at a cost of £4.3 million,[1] it opened in December 2007.[2] It is 156 miles (251 km) from London Paddington.

Llanharan
Llanharan railway station from footbridge
Location	Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales
Coordinates	51.538°N 3.441°W
Grid reference	ST001830
Managed by	Transport for Wales Rail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	LLR
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	South Wales Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1850	Opened
2 November 1964	Closed
10 December 2007	Reopened
Passengers
2015/16	0.169 million
2016/17	0.174 million
2017/18	0.176 million
2018/19	0.168 million
2019/20	0.156 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

A former station was on the site until 1964,[2] when it was closed under the Beeching Cuts. Following local campaigning from residents with backing from the MP and AM. EC funding was secured and a new station was agreed and work began in 2007.

Facilities

The station has two platforms connected by a footbridge and small shelters for passengers. It is unmanned but features CCTV and help points. A car park is next to the station.

The approved design features Corus Modular Platforms. The Modular Platform was selected as the majority of the structure can be erected with trains still running. Alternative forms of construction would have required extended blockage of the line (with associated disruption to through services on the South Wales Main Line).

The principal contractor for construction was Galliford Try Water & Rail, utilising local subcontractors where possible.

Services

The station has an hourly service westbound to Bridgend and Maesteg and eastbound towards Cardiff Central, with some services continuing on towards Newport, Chepstow, Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa. These services are operated mainly by Class 170 Turbostar units.

On Sundays the service decreases slightly. There is roughly a 2-hourly service to Maesteg however there are also four services a day to Manchester Piccadilly via Hereford and 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 Ninian Park to continue onto Cardiff Central alongside Canton sidings, to retain route knowledge.

References

1. "Janice Gregory AM for Ogmore". Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
2. "Village back on track 43 years on". BBC News. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.

External links

Media related to Llanharan railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Llanharan railway station from National Rail