NETWORK Rail has outlined the next steps for re-opening the line between Newport and Ebbw Vale.

The Newport-Ebbw Vale rail link was closed in 1962, meaning train passengers have had to travel via Cardiff ever since.

The Argus has long campaigned for the link to be restored, and in 2018 the Welsh Government announced it would be restored.

Work to restore the railway line took place over the Easter weekend, with engineers working to tamp – compressing the stones underneath the rails to secure the foundations – the track alongside the platform at Llanhilleth station.

Workers also installed guard rails at several locations between Aberbeeg and Crosskeys stations, and a number of maintenance activities, ground investigations and surveys were also carried out.  

Following the completion of the Easter works, Network Rail has confirmed the next steps in re-opening the Newport-Ebbw Vale link.

Work will begin in “late summer” to extend the existing platforms at Llanhilleth and Newbridge stations, as well as building new platforms on the opposite side of the tracks. A new fully accessible footbridge – with lifts – will also be installed at Llanhilleth station, with work beginning this summer.

A Network Rail spokesperson said the work is expected to last “approximately 12 months”.

The will be major works for a nine-day period in the autumn, with no passenger trains running on the line between October 21 and 29.

The works will include:

  • Replacing Bridge Street rail over road bridge in Newbridge;
  • Starting to reconstruct retaining walls in Crumlin and Abercarn;
  • Continuing platform work at Llanhilleth and Newbridge stations;
  • Installing new track and signals at various points along the line.

Further closures of the line are expected in late 2022 and early 2023, although details on these will be confirmed at a later date.

Anyone who wants to find out more about the plans can attend ‘drop-in’ events to meet with the project team. These will be held on:   

  • Tuesday, May 10: Newbridge Memo, 3pm – 7pm.
  • Tuesday, May 17: Llanhilleth Miner’s Institute, 3pm – 7pm.
  • Monday, May 23: Crosskeys Rugby Club, 3pm – 7pm.