Heart of Wales Line

Heart of Wales Line

Legend Shrewsbury Church Stretton Craven Arms for Welsh Marches Broome Hopton Bucknell English border Knighton Knucklas Knucklas viaduct Llangynllo Llanbister Road Dolau Pen-y-Bont Llandrindod Mid Wales line Builth Road Cilmeri Garth Llangammarch Llanwrtyd Sugar Loaf Cynghordy Llandovery Llanwrda Llangadog Llandeilo Ffairfach Carmarthen Llandybie Ammanford GCG Colliery Pantyffynnon Pontarddulais Morlais Juntion: Swansea District Line (goods line) Llangennech Bynea Llanelli West Wales Line Loughor viaduct Gowerton Cockett tunnel Swansea Loop West Junction Swansea Loop East/North Junctions Swansea South Wales Main Line

The end of the line in Shropshire at Craven Arms - here it joins the Welsh Marches Line.

Pantyffynnon station

The Heart of Wales Line (Welsh: Llinell Calon Cymru) is the railway line from Llanelli to Craven Arms. It crossed the earlier Mid Wales Railway at Builth Road, but was unable to get any nearer to the town of Builth Wells. It serves several other fashionable spa towns en-route, as well as more rural centres. The line outlasted the Mid-Wales route, which closed in the 1960s. Historically the line was known as the Central Wales Line (Welsh: Llinell Canol Cymru) and also included routes through Gowerton, where the railway crossed the West Wales Line and ran through Dunvant and Killay then down through the Clyne Valley to Blackpill, and then along the sea wall to Swansea Bay Station, (near the former slip bridge) before finally reaching Swansea Victoria. This section, originally built by the Llanelly Railway and Dock Company to compete with the Great Western Railway and break the monopoly they held on Swansea Dock, closed in 1964. Nationalization of the railways had removed the need for competing routes, and the running down and closure of Swansea North Dock ended the need for freight services on this path. As a rural branch line the remainder of the Heart of Wales Line survived the Beeching axe since it also carried extensive freight traffic and served the steelworks at Bynea and industrial areas such as Ammanford and Pontarddulais, linking them with the docks at Llanelli. During engineering work the line is still used as a diversionary freight route but normally sees only light passenger services. The line is single track throughout. There are five passing loops, at Llandeilo, Llandovery, Llanwrtyd, Llandrindod and Knighton. Normally the Llanwrtyd passing loop is in use on the Monday - Saturday service and the Llandrindod passing loop is in use on the Sunday service. The Welsh scenery is a particularly attractive feature of this line.

Services today

As of 2007, the service runs 4 or 5 trains per day in each direction, and 2 on Sundays. Trains are 1 or 2 carriages each, with a small team of staff and a buffet trolley. As the train doesn't run late at night, the staff do not have to deal with drunken behaviour and are able to maintain a positive and friendly atmosphere. The Heart of Wales line proper runs between Llanelli and Craven Arms. However train services normally terminate at Shrewsbury, Swansea. One train a day terminates at Cardiff. Some stations are request stops. Places served by the route include: Wales

• Llanelli (West Wales Line: Gowerton, Swansea)
• Bynea
• Llangennech
• Pontarddulais
• Pantyffynnon
• Ammanford
• Llandybie
• Ffairfach
• Llandeilo
• Llangadog
• Llanwrda
• Llandovery
• Cynghordy
• Sugar Loaf
• Llanwrtyd Wells
• Llangammarch Wells
• Garth
• Cilmeri
• Builth Road (For Builth Wells)
• Llandrindod Wells
• Penybont
• Dolau
• Llanbister Road
• Llangynllo
• Knucklas
• Knighton

England

• Bucknell
• Hopton Heath
• Broome
• Craven Arms

At Craven Arms, the line joins the Welsh Marches Line to Church Stretton and Shrewsbury. Passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales using Class 150 or Class 153 diesel multiple units, although Class 175's have been used on rare occasions.

External links

• Heart of Wales Line website
• Travellers Association
• Arriva Trains Wales: Heart of Wales Line timetable

Wales Portal