LAST week we featured a picture of Bassaleg railway station, Newport.

This station no longer exists and the site is now the housing estate along Viaduct Way.

THE railway picture is of Bassaleg Junction Station on the Western Valley Lines.

These lines fed down from the valleys from Caerphilly and Machen, and down from Brynmawr, Abertillery Ebbw Vale, and Rogerstone, then from Bassaleg onto Newport High Street Station and also onto Newport Docks.

Most of the freight being coal traffic from many collieries in the area.

Passenger services were withdrawn on these lines from 30th April, 1962.

The Ebbw Vale to Cardiff trains were re-instated and still run today on this line.

Eric Broom, Caldicot

THE Then photograph is of the former Bassaleg Junction railway station, looking towards Newport.

This station dated from 1900, replacing one that had been in similar location from the 1850’s.

It was unusual in that to get from one platform to the other, a passenger subway was provided.

This is indicated by the white fencing on the left of the photograph.

This station closed in April 1962 when the passenger train service was withdrawn.

In the left background, the tall signal box can be seen, this closed in December 1968.

As can be seen in the Now photograph, the site was used for housing in later years.

The railway remained open for freight, this only ceasing with the close of Ebbw Vale Steelworks.

The line re-opened to passengers in February 2008 with trains running between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff.

More recently, a station named Pye Corner has opened a short distance north of the one shown.

Ray Caston, Bassaleg