The Coryton Line is a commuter railway line in Cardiff from the city centre to Heath, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch and Coryton. It was originally opened as part of the main line of the Cardiff Railway.

Coryton Line
The terminus of the Coryton Line at Coryton railway station
Overview
OwnerTransport for Wales[1]
LocaleCardiff
Termini
Stations8
Service
TypeHeavy Rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Transport for Wales Rail
Rolling stock
Technical
Line lengthmiles 37 chains (8.8 km)[2]
Number of tracksSingle track covering 6 stations
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 hz AC OLE (Discontinuous)
Route map

(Click to expand)
Cardiff Railway to Trefforest
Tongwynlais Tunnel
Tongwynlais
Coryton
Whitchurch
Rhiwbina
Birchgrove
Ty Glas
Heath Low Level
Crwys Road
proposed
Merthyr and Rhondda lines
Cardiff Queen Street
Cardiff Central

The line is operated by Transport for Wales as part of the Valley Lines network. TfW replaced the previous franchise, Arriva Trains Wales in October 2018. Rolling stock seen operating the line are normally class 153s, or class 150s.

Services normally continue to Penarth.

Electrification of the Line

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On 16 July 2012 plans to electrify the line were announced by the Government as part of a £9.4bn package of investment of the railways in England and Wales.[3]

The announcement was made as an extension of the electrification of the South Wales Main Line from Cardiff to Swansea and the electrification of the south Wales Valley Lines at a total cost of £350 million. The investment will require new trains and should result in reduced journey times and cheaper maintenance of the network. Work was expected to start between 2014 and 2019, but was then pushed back to between 2019 and 2024.[4][5]

However, as part of Welsh Government's South Wales Metro this line has been taken over,[6] and will soon be electrified[7] in preparation for new Class 756 rolling stock.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Impact of Core Valley Lines divestment on the Wales & Western region" (PDF). orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  2. ^ Yonge, John; Padgett, David (August 2010) [1989]. Bridge, Mike (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western (5th ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. maps 22 & 28B. ISBN 978-0-9549866-6-7.
  3. ^ "£9bn railway investment announced by coalition". BBC News. 16 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Rail electrification to Swansea and south Wales valleys welcomed". BBC News. 16 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Cardiff And Valleys Station Upgrades". Network Rail. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Impact of Core Valley Lines divestment on the Wales & Western region" (PDF). orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Core Valley Lines Transformation | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Transport for Wales: meet the fleet". Railcolornews. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
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