Butetown Branch Line
Encyclopedia
The Butetown Branch Line, also known as the Cardiff Bay Line, is a commuter
railway line in Cardiff
, Wales
from Cardiff Bay
and Cardiff Queen Street
. The service pattern used to comprise a mixture of shuttle services along the branch and through trains along the Rhymney Line
to Caerphilly
, or the Coryton Line
to Coryton, but since December 2005 is a shuttle service from Queen Street station
only.
Originally, the branch was opened by the Taff Vale Railway
In 1922, it was absorbed, along with the Rhymney Railway
, into the enlarged Great Western Railway
.
At privatisation in 1995, services were operated by the Cardiff Railway Company, which traded as Valley Lines
. This was subsumed by the new Wales and Borders
franchise in 2001, which was subsequently awarded to Arriva
in December 2003 and operates as Arriva Trains Wales
. The December 2005 timetable introduced a further increase in services to 4 trains per hour 18 hours a day, and even a Sunday service for the first time (further improved in June 2006 to offer the same 4 trains per hour service from 11am to 4pm). In December 2005, Arriva employed a single car Class 153
to "shuttle" along the Butetown Line, upgrading from the 2 car Class 143
'Pacers' used for the service. Since then, the service frequency has been increased even more - there are now 5 trains per hour on the line every day of the week, which equates to one train every 12 minutes.
In July 2006 the service was due to be provided by a 1950s British Rail Class 121
"Bubble car" DMU. The unit finally entered service in 17 August 2006, only to be withdrawn for repairs two days later. The unit then re-entered service on 14 September 2006.
Commuter rail in the United Kingdom
Urban rail, commuter rail, regional rail, or suburban rail, plays a key role in the public transport system of many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a...
railway line in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
from Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
and Cardiff Queen Street
Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is Wales' second busiest railway station in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central...
. The service pattern used to comprise a mixture of shuttle services along the branch and through trains along the Rhymney Line
Rhymney Line
The Rhymney Line is a commuter rail line running from Central Cardiff through the Rhymney valley via Heath and Llanishen in the north of the city, to Caerphilly, Bargoed and Rhymney.-History:...
to Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
, or the Coryton Line
Coryton Line
The Coryton Line is a commuter railway line in Cardiff from the city centre to Heath, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch and Coryton.The line is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales as part of the Valley Lines network. ATW replaced the previous franchise, Wales & Borders Trains in December...
to Coryton, but since December 2005 is a shuttle service from Queen Street station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is Wales' second busiest railway station in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central...
only.
Originally, the branch was opened by the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
In 1922, it was absorbed, along with the Rhymney Railway
Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.-History:...
, into the enlarged Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
.
At privatisation in 1995, services were operated by the Cardiff Railway Company, which traded as Valley Lines
Valley Lines
Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes is the busy network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glamorgan and the South Wales Valleys....
. This was subsumed by the new Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
franchise in 2001, which was subsequently awarded to Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
in December 2003 and operates as Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
. The December 2005 timetable introduced a further increase in services to 4 trains per hour 18 hours a day, and even a Sunday service for the first time (further improved in June 2006 to offer the same 4 trains per hour service from 11am to 4pm). In December 2005, Arriva employed a single car Class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
to "shuttle" along the Butetown Line, upgrading from the 2 car Class 143
British Rail Class 143
The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple unit, part of the Pacer family of trains introduced between 1985 and 1986. They originally worked in the North-East of England but were later transferred to Wales and South-West England....
'Pacers' used for the service. Since then, the service frequency has been increased even more - there are now 5 trains per hour on the line every day of the week, which equates to one train every 12 minutes.
British Rail Class 121
Sixteen Class 121 single-car driving motor vehicles were built from 1960, numbered 55020–55035. These were supplemented by ten trailer vehicles, numbered 56280–56289 . They had a top speed of 70 mph, with slam-doors, and vacuum brakes...
"Bubble car" DMU. The unit finally entered service in 17 August 2006, only to be withdrawn for repairs two days later. The unit then re-entered service on 14 September 2006.