Long-awaited south Wales active travel route nears completion

The final section of a new walking and cycling route in south Wales has reached the halfway point in its development after two years and four months under construction.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council has provided a construction update on phase five of the Rhondda Fach Active Travel Route, to establish the route’s final section from Ferndale to Tylorstown.

The works are around halfway complete, and have included building three replacement footbridges and two pedestrian and cycle links.

The 10km walking and cycling route from Maerdy through to Tylorstown is  being created in partnership with Welsh Government in five phases of work.

Phases one, two, four and five will represent the primary route, with phase three providing a key local link off it.

Council contractor Horan Construction Ltd started phase five in June 2025 which is the 2.8km final section between Ferndale and Tylorstown.

It will extend from the southernmost point of phase four, between Rhondda Fach Leisure Centre (Ferndale) and the Stanleytown overbridge, connecting to the Porth Relief Road community route at its southern end.

This section will follow the route of the old railway line, creating links to the sports centre and Tylorstown surgery.

At the half-way point of these works, three footbridges have been built and installed which will remain closed until completion of phase five and will form part of the walking and cycling route when it opens.

The first, Pont Pendyrus, has replaced the old timber leisure centre footbridge.

It spans 17m and will form part of the link to the leisure centre, using an upgraded steel structure that is wider and meets active travel standards.

The second and third new bridges, Tylorstown north and south, replace old railway structures that were beyond repair.

They both span 20-metres and are wider, steel alternatives that are suitable for modern active travel standards, the council says.

Substructure repairs have also been carried out to the abutments and piers.

Elsewhere within phase five, major earthworks have been completed to create the two new links to Tylorstown surgery and Rhondda Fach Leisure Centre.

Phase five is on course to be completed on time by the end of March 2026 – which will ensure the entire 10km route between Maerdy and Tylorstown will be available to the public in spring 2026, the council says.

Timeline

Here’s how the whole scheme has gone so far:

• Phase one was completed in late 2023. It created the northernmost section of the overall active travel route, from a location north of the Maerdy industrial estate to a point near the Gateway Memorial.

• Phase two was completed during 2024, resuming the route south of phase one. Starting from the gateway memorial, it stretches through Maerdy for 1.5km, following the alignment of the former railway line.

• Phase three will improve the existing cycle path in Maerdy and create a new 1.5km path leading to Richard Street and Ferndale swimming pool. This phase received planning consent in June 2024 and continues to be in development and the council looking for funding.

• Phase four was completed in 2025, upgrading the old railway line across Ferndale – from a point north of Ffaldau Terrace (near Maerdy) to a point near Dolycoed Funeral Home (Tylorstown). It included a new link to Avon Street (Ferndale) and construction of two new footbridges at Blaenllechau.