The Cardiff City Line is a commuter railway line in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

that runs between and via .

History

The line was opened by the Taff Vale Railway in 1859, as part of its route from to the docks at

Penarth Penarth (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg), Wales, exactly south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a weal ...

. Subsequent construction by the TVR added links to and to the Extension Railway by 1878. Originally the line was freight-only, but over the years saw regular use for empty passenger trains thanks to its links with the depot at Cardiff Canton TMD and also for football specials to Ninian Park stadium and periodic engineering diversions. The first regular passenger service was introduced to the line on 5 October 1987, when three new stations were opened at , and , and regular service was introduced to the previously existing station. The new service was introduced by British Rail in co-operation with the Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan County Councils.

Services

There are currently trains every half hour which drop to every hour in the evenings on Mondays-Saturdays. There is no Sunday service on the line. Services normally continue to via the Coryton Line. Transport for Wales currently operates the line as part of the former

Valley Lines Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes ( cy, Llwybrau Lleol y Cymoedd a Chaerdydd) (formerly Valley Lines) is the network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glam ...

network. TfW succeeded the previous franchisee

Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales (ATW; cy, Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales ...

in October 2018. Some freight services also use the line. The line is also used as a diversionary route for trains serving , and when the line between and Radyr is closed for engineering work. In the past there were shuttle trains on the line to serve and beyond with one stop at .

Trains

TfW operates the line with

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are als ...

s of Sprinter classes

150 150 may refer to: *150 (number), a natural number * AD 150, a year in the 2nd century AD *150 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *150 Regiment RLC * Combined Task Force 150 See also * List of highways numbered 150 The following highways are number ...

and 153.

Electrification

On 16 July 2012 the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

announced plans to electrify the line. This will require new electric multiple unit trains and should reduce journey times, operating costs and maintenance costs. Work was expected to start between 2014 and 2019, but was pushed back to between 2019 and 2024. The announcement was made as an extension of the electrification of the

South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...

from to and the electrification of the south Wales

at a total cost of £350 million. This in turn is part of a £9.4 billion investment in railways in England and Wales. However, these plans have since been replaced by Welsh Government's

South Wales Metro The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network in South East Wales around the hub of . The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are curren ...

. This line has been partially taken over, and is now being electrified.

References

{{South Wales Metro Railway lines in Wales City Line Railway lines opened in 1987