South Wales Main Line
| South Wales Main Line |
| Stations (from east to west)
Swindon |
- See also: Transport in Wales
The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in the UK. It diverges from the main line at Wootton Bassett near Swindon, first calling at Bristol Parkway, after which the line continues through the Severn Tunnel into South Wales. High speed trains (known as InterCity 125 trains in the days of British Rail) usually terminate at Swansea, where there are connections to West Wales, but an occasional train runs from Paddington through Swansea to Carmarthen.
History of the line
The original route of the Great Western Railway between London and South Wales left the Bristol-bound Great Western Main Line at Swindon, proceeding via Stroud, Gloucester and Chepstow before rejoining the line as we know it today at Severn Tunnel Junction. This gave rise to the nickname 'Great Way Round'.
In 1886, the opening of the Severn Tunnel brought the opportunity of a more direct route to South Wales, and trains from Swindon to Newport and beyond were routed via Bristol and the Severn Tunnel. This route leaves the one we know today at Wootton Bassett near Swindon rejoining it close to Patchway station.
The route used today was established in 1903 with the building of what is often known as the Badminton Line. This involved the construction of about 33 miles of new track including two tunnels at Alderton and Sodbury between Wootton Bassett and Patchway. Not only did this provide a more direct route for traffic to and from South Wales, the gradient was easier for coal trains to negotiate, and it was perceived that the line would be a boost to what was, at the time of building, the expanding port of Fishguard, which was the GWR's connection to a point of departure for the United States of America by liner.
Services
Services on the line include First Great Western's InterCity express services between Swansea and London Paddington. A regional service, branded Swanline, operates between Swansea and Cardiff.
Places served
The line serves the following cities and towns (towns in bold are served by high speed train services):
- Reading
- Didcot Parkway
- Swindon
- connection with Great Western Main Line and Golden Valley Line
- Bristol Parkway
- connection with Cross-Country Route
- Patchway
- Pilning
- (Severn Tunnel)
- Severn Tunnel Junction
- Newport
- connection with Welsh Marches Line and line to Gloucester
- Cardiff Central
- connection with Valley Lines services
- Pontyclun
- Pencoed
- Bridgend
- connection with Maesteg Line and Vale of Glamorgan Line
- Pyle
- Port Talbot
- Baglan
- Briton Ferry
- Neath
- Skewen
- Llansamlet
- Swansea
- connection with West Wales Line and Heart of Wales Line
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South Wales Main Line |
- Kevin Robertson and David Abbott (1988). GWR The Badminton Line. Sutton Publishing Ltd.
