South Wales Valleys - Transport

Transport

The A470 from Cardiff to Llandudno is, until its junction with the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, a dual carriageway providing direct access to Taff's Well, Pontypridd, Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil. It links with the A4059 from Abercynon, Aberdare and Hirwaun; the A472 from Ystrad Mynach and Pontypool, and the A4054 from Quakers Yard. The A465 provides a strategic link for the northern Valleys, and an alternate route between South West Wales and the Midlands. The dualling of this road will be completed by 2020. Stagecoach Wales provides bus services linking many towns and villages directly to Cardiff city centre.

Many settlements in the Valleys are served by the Valley Lines network, an urban rail network radiating from Cardiff which links them to the city's stations, principally Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central, with connections onto the South Wales Main Line. There are six main lines from Central Cardiff to the Valleys:

• Valley Lines via Cardiff Queen Street
  • Rhondda Line to Pontypridd to Treherbert
  • Merthyr Line to Pontypridd and Abercynon continuing to either Aberdare or Merthyr Tydfil, plus the freight-only section beyond Aberdare to Hirwaun
  • Maesteg Line to Bridgend and Maesteg
  • Rhymney Line to Rhymney, plus the freight-only line from Ystrad Mynach to Cwmbargoed.
• Routes via the South Wales Main Line
  • Ebbw Valley Railway to Ebbw Vale
  • Welsh Marches Line to Abergavenny continuing to North Wales and North West England