Rhymney line

Rhymney line
A leased Class 37 at Caerphilly in 2005
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Locale	Rhymney Valley
Operation
Owner	Network Rail
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track Cardiff–Bargoed Single track Bargoed–Rhymney
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Rhymney line is a commuter rail line running from Central Cardiff through the Rhymney valley via Heath and Llanishen in the north of the city, to Caerphilly, Bargoed and Rhymney.

The name comes from the fact that the original line followed was part of the Rhymney Railway's system.

The line is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) as part of the Valley Lines network. ATW replaced the previous franchise, Wales & Borders in December 2003.

In March 2007 the latest in a series of infrastructure improvements on the Valley Lines was announced, included lengthening of platforms between Rhymney and Penarth to allow Class 150 units to operate in multiples of 3 (6 cars). However, this is postponed indefinitely due to the sub-lease by the Department for Transport, to First Great Western, of the units that would have allowed this extra capacity.

The line currently has a 15-minute daytime headway between Bargoed and Cardiff, with most journeys terminating at Penarth. Prior to re-signalling early in 2006, a 20-minute headway was operated. North of Bargoed, one train per hour runs over the single track to Rhymney. The Sunday service operates over the entire length of the line every 2 hours, though this now runs all the day since Dec 2005.

Current stock comprises DMU classes 142, 143 and 150. The Rhymney line was one of the final two routes worked by Class 37/4 diesel locomotives on passenger trains (the other being the West Highland Line).