Heart of Wales Line

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Heart of Wales Line
Passenger stations (from south to north)

Llanelli
for West Wales Line
Bynea
Llangennech
Pontarddulais
Pantyffynnon
Ammanford
Llandybie
Ffairfach
Llandeilo
Llangadog
Llanwrda
Llandovery
Cynghordy
Sugar Loaf
Llanwrtyd
Llangammarch
Garth
Cilmeri
Builth Road
Llandrindod
Pen-y-Bont
Dolau
Llanbister Road
Llangynllo
Knucklas
Knighton
Bucknell
Hopton Heath
Broome
Craven Arms
for Welsh Marches 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 is the railway line from Llanelli to Craven Arms. Historically it was known as the Central Wales Line 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.

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 do deal with drunken behaviour and are able to maintain a positive and friendly atmosphere.

The Welsh scenery is a particularly attractive feature of this line.

Some stations are request stops. Places served by the route include:

Wales

England

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.

External links

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Wikimedia Commons
has media related to:
Heart of Wales Line


Railway lines in Wales:
Main lines:  Gloucester-Newport Line   North Wales Coast Line   Shrewsbury-Chester Line   South Wales Main Line   Welsh Marches Line 
Valley lines:           Butetown Branch            City Line            Coryton Line            Ebbw Valley Line            Maesteg Line 
          Merthyr Line            Rhondda Line            Rhymney Line            Vale of Glamorgan Line 
Rural lines:  Borderlands Line   Cambrian Line   Conwy Valley Line   Heart of Wales Line   West Wales Line