Help required re Valley line Rover

[Old Shire]

Hi all,

I am looking at getting a day rover on the Welsh Valley Lines on the August Bank Holiday.

I live in the Bristol area and can get to Cardiff Central by 08.01. Would have to leave Cardiff Central by 20.30. My plan is to try and cover all the lines valid on this ticket.

My questions are:

• has anyone done all the lines in a day?
• Do you have any tips on how to achieve my goal?

 

[yorkie]

Tips:

You can get a bus from Rhymney to Merthyr Tydfill to avoid a lot of doubling-back.

When on your way back from Merthyr, switch platforms (it's an island) at Abercynon and do Aberdare.

When you get to Aberdare, I don't think there's a bus to Treherbert, so you need to go back to Pontypridd to cover that.

 

[crispy1978]

Coincidentally I've been planning day 4 of my ALR today. Not sure of the boundaries the rover covers but all the branches definitely take time to navigate!!

 

[anthony263]

Stagecoach service 172 to Bridgend/Porthcawl leave Aberdare bus station at 00 minutes past each hour and passes Tonypandy station where you can alight and then get a train up to Treherbert before coming back down the. valley to Pontypridd.

Serviuce 172 also runs to Bridgend where you can get services to Maesteg & Cardiff, Hourney time from Aberdare to Bridgend is 1 hour 40 minutes. Sadly the step entrance Volvo's no longer work the route which is a shame as it was always worth a trip over Maerdy mountain.

You can get buses from Newbridge to Blackwood and Ystrad Mynach service 151 runs every 10 minutes most of the day however there is only an hourly sunday service on the majority of routes on bank holiay mondays,

I reconmend a trip on the Ebbw Vale line which if you are lucky could be worked by a 158 like I had on friday on the 13:35 from Cardiff of course it did end up at Rogerstone at 13:51 so ended up sat for 6 minutes

 

[ValleyLines142]

The 1135, 1435 and 1735 departures from Cardiff to Ebbw Vale are booked for 158s (the latter also having a 153).

The 1540 from Ebbv Vale now goes through to Bridgend, if that is of any help for catching the Maesteg/Rhoose branches.

 

[PHILIPE]

The 15 40 from Ebbw Vale wouldn,t be any benefit for Maesteg or Rhoose Branches as you could catch the same trains at Cardiff anyway so no need to wait at Bridgend. Ebbw Vales mostly 150s apart from the 158s quoted.

 

[Old Shire]

Thanks for all your information that you have all given. One more question,as l am going on a Bank Holiday Monday is the ticket available to use on service 1 from Merthyr to Rhymney? As on a bank holiday the service is operated by NAT group and not stagecoach

 

[anthony263]

The service is operated under contract to Caerphilly/Rhondda Cynon taff councils by NAT on sundays & bank holidays and they are supposed to accept all Stagecoach tickets. Print off the details about the Valley lines dayrover and point out to the driver the section which states that it can be used on all Stagecoach south wales service in the Cardiff Valleys.

Any problems keep a note and pass it on to the transport department at Caerphilly council.

I am not sure which NAT depot operates some of the sundays services in the Cardiff Valleys however I do know there is one railway enthusiast who works for NAT at their Cardiff Bay depot.

 

[ValleyLines142]

The 15 40 from Ebbw Vale wouldn,t be any benefit for Maesteg or Rhoose Branches as you could catch the same trains at Cardiff anyway so no need to wait at Bridgend. Ebbw Vales mostly 150s apart from the 158s quoted.

True. I suppose there would be better connections at Cardiff anyway.