NEW RAIL services are coming to the line between Newport and Ebbw Vale after a £70 million investment.

This will nearly double the number of travel options.

Thanks to a £70 million investment through the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Transport for Wales and Network Rail will be delivering direct services between Ebbw Vale and Newport.

From December, the line will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport.

That means the line will have more than 60 services running on it every day.

TfW Project Sponsor Kevin Lewis said: “These new services will be a huge boost for the local economy giving people more options for leisure, learning and business travel.

“If you want to travel towards Bristol, London or Manchester, you no longer have to double back on yourself to Cardiff, though those services are still there for those heading west.

“TfW, Network Rail and our partners in Blaenau Gwent Council, as well as Caerphilly Council have worked incredibly closely to ensure we’ve delivered genuine value for money from this Welsh Government investment.”

The project has also seen a fully accessible footbridge built at Llanhilleth and new platforms at Llanhilleth and Newbridge, meaning there is now step-free access to all platforms on the line.

To allow the services to run, a new 7-mile passing loop has been built between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg alongside new earthworks and drainage, constructed to accommodate the new track.

Alongside this work, The Department for Transport and Network Rail have provided a further £17m of funding to deliver the signalling upgrade at the south end of the line.

Network Rail with contractors AmcoGiffen and Siemens have been delivering the work on infrastructure for the past 18 months with the next set of work included below.

During this time work will be continuous (24/7) as buses replace trains.

  • Sunday, September 24
  • Saturday and Sunday, September 30 and October 1
  • Sunday and Monday, December 3 and 4

A return ticket from Ebbw Vale Town to Newport will cost you £8.30 or £29.10 for a seven-day season ticket (correct up to March 2024).