Merthyr Tydfil Railway Station - History

History

In 1853, Merthyr High Street railway station opened as the terminus of the Vale of Neath Railway on the site. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the two platform station encompassed 7 ft 0 1⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) broad gauge lines, and was enclosed by an overall roof. The Vale of Neath also encompassed the Swansea and Neath Railway, enabling trains to run to Swansea docks, and after amalgamation with the Great Western Railway on 1 February 1865, also ran through trains to London Paddington.

Although other railways which ran into Merthyr had their own stations, after a third rail was added to the whole of the Vale of Neath system in 1863, the mixed gauge allowed them all to consolidate their services at Merthyr High Street:

• Great Western Railway: trains from Hereford through to Swansea over a connection at Middle Duffryn
• Taff Vale: to Cardiff
• Brecon & Merthyr: onwards to Brecon
• Rhymney Railway
• London & North Western: to the Midlands and Swansea

After the whole of the Great Western system was converted to standard gauge on 11 May 1872, a thin central platform was later added to the station, adding two additional platforms.

After the end of steam trains, and removal of all but the Taff Vale lines into the station under the Beeching Axe, the passenger facilities were rebuilt by British Rail on the southwest corner of the original site in 1974 as a single island providing two platforms. After the station was rebuilt again as a single platform in 1996, the Tesco superstore and other retail outlets now occupy most of the former Merthyr High Street station site.