Aber Valley / Rhymney valley line

[Tomos y Tanc]

Count this in the highly speculative category!

I was just wondering what could be done to improve the connectivity of the 'blind' valleys of south Wales, the ones that basicaly have only one way in and out. There are plenty of them, the Garw valley, Cwm Clydach / Clydach Vale in the Rhondda and the Aber Valley west of Caerphilly being three prime examples.

They contain some of Wales poorest communities and the connectivity is appalling. All of these valleys had rail lines at one time and I wonder to what extent the trackbeds could prove useful.

The trackbed down the Aber valley, for instance, is largely complete but the final section linking it to the Rhymney valley line has disappeared under new developments. Could the surviving trackbed be used either for improved bus connections or tram-trains?

I haven't checked on the populations of Abertridwr and Senghenydd but combined it's probably somwhere between five and ten thousand but there's a lot of land that could be utilised for future housing needs. Is it worth taking a look at?

As I said, it's just a passing thought!

 

[Llanigraham]

2001 census:
Abertrdwr 6382
Senghenydd isn't listed but the Aber Valley 6696.

 

[Bevan Price]

Is there much demand for travel between the various valleys? Are there good, frequent, well-used bus services? If so, that might give guidance about possible need for a rail service. If bus services are poor or non-existent, then there is unlikely to be a need for a rail service.

 

[coradiafan2000]

Is there much demand for travel between the various valleys? Are there good, frequent, well-used bus services? If so, that might give guidance about possible need for a rail service. If bus services are poor or non-existent, then there is unlikely to be a need for a rail service.

Living in Merthyr, I'm fine with the buses to Ebbw Vale and Abergavenny, however the buses to Aberdare leave much to be desired. They stop running far too early in the evening, and take a bit longer than I'd like. The buses to Rhymney and Bargoed are fine though.