Cwmbrân railway station
Creating this station was one of the last acts of the corporation which developed the post-war new town of Cwmbrân.
In the early 20th century, two main railways ran north-south through the Cwmbrân area. The Monmouthshire Canal Company became a railway company in 1845. Its railway from Newport to Blaenavon served the large ironworks in Cwmbrân, among other industries, and closed in the 1960s. The former Great Western Railway line from Newport to Hereford survives.
Stations in the Cwmbrân area included two in Pontnewydd, one on each railway. Cwmbrân station, on the Blaenavon line, was on the site now occupied by the Roman Catholic school in Victoria Street.
When the Cwmbran Development Corporation was formed in 1949, its main task was housing people who worked in local industries. Its 1951 plan focused on developing roads for the growing number of car owners to get around the new town. A helicopter landing site, for passengers and goods, was also planned near the town centre!
The planners suggested to British Railways that the area’s four remaining small stations be replaced with a “new central station” north-east of the town centre, but railway managers said this would force people to travel further to catch trains, potentially deterring people from using rail services. They also said that a central station wouldn’t be much help for travellers to Newport, who mostly went by bus. The small stations on the Blaenavon line closed in 1962 with no replacement.
By the 1980s, many local industries had closed or scaled down and Cwmbrân residents were travelling further for work. British Rail managers asked the development corporation to build a station as their final legacy to the town. The new station included a 120-space car park. When it opened in May 1986, there were 12 trains per direction on weekdays, including two Manchester trains. The development corporation closed two years later.
The photos, by Rhodri Clark, show a steam excursion passing in 1988 and a freight train in 1991. Also shown is the cover of a leaflet for the station’s opening.
The station was enlarged as passenger numbers grew. In March 2025, local MP and cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds joined residents to open the new lifts and footbridge which provide direct step free access between the platforms.
Postcode: NP44 1QX View Location Map