Revamped station plagued by delays to finally reopen

Emily Price

A revamped train station plagued by delays and planning issues is finally set to reopen to passengers next week.

In April 2023 Transport for Wales (TfW) closed Quakers Yard station in Merthyr Tydfil to carry out essential upgrade work as part of the South Wales Metro.

This station’s facelift included upgrading it from a single to a double platform, installing a brand-new step and ramped footbridge to connect the original platform to the newly constructed one, and redoubling the railway track on the line.

The creation of this new passing loop, with a doubled railway line through Quakers Yard is vital for TfW to achieve the running of 4 trains per hour from Merthyr Tydfil into Cardiff.

Although the work was completed in August, the station has remained closed to the public despite the rail operator announcing it would reopen in October.

Concerns

This was because TfW had not submitted prior notification in advance of any works being carried out and when a council case officer visited the site, the work was already well underway.

As a result Merthyr Tydfil Council had to deal with the work retrospectively which led to weeks of delays whilst planning meetings took place.

The council raised concerns about the new footbridge which overlooked properties and planners requested “further justification” to be considered.

But after weeks of delays, TfW confirmed today that they have received full planning approval from the council and the station will reopen on Monday December 18th.

Validation

A TfW spokesperson said: “We have now received full planning approval from the local authority for the newly installed footbridge at the station. Due to this, the station will now fully reopen to passengers and the public on Monday 18 December 2023.

“As part of the South Wales Metro program, we have worked hard to undertake significant upgrades to Quakers Yard station. The station was due to reopen in early October 2023, however, due to delays in obtaining the essential validation from the Office for Road and Rail and to ensure we received full planning approval from Merthyr Council prior to reopening the station to passengers, the date was postponed.

“We understand the difficulty that the station closure has caused passengers and commuters who frequently use Quakers Yard station. To ensure passengers can still travel on the network, we will continue to operate our shuttle bus service for those who need to travel to and from the station up until the reopening date.

“The shuttle bus service is operated from the bus stop on Cardiff Road, near the junction with Treharne Road, and travels between Abercynon and Merthyr Vale railway stations.”