Welsh rail closures continue as flooding hits Valleys and Cambrian lines
Archive article. Published on Fri 23 Oct, 08:23. Conditions may have changed since this reporting.
Trains on the Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour branches remain cancelled in both directions through Sunday night, while flooding is disrupting the Valleys and Cambrian lines on Saturday 24 October. Transport for Wales expects the three west Wales closures to last until 23:59 on Sunday 25 October. Replacement road transport is arranged at no extra cost, but the Pembroke Dock notice says buses cannot currently serve Manorbier because of worsening road conditions.
TfW disruption forecasts
- West Wales branches
- Cancelled; notices until 23:59 Sunday 25 October
- West Wales replacement transport
- Arranged through the end of Sunday
- Heart of Wales
- Cancelled; notice until noon Sunday
- Chester to Llandudno Junction / Holyhead
- 2 trains an hour / hourly, Friday and Saturday
- Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
- Every 2 hours; notice until 23:59 Sunday
- Treherbert–Cardiff Central
- Cancellations through Saturday; flooding Treherbert–Pontypridd
- Machynlleth–Aberystwyth
- Saturday 18:40–21:00; replacement road transport
Treherbert and Pontypridd
Flooding has blocked the line between Treherbert and Pontypridd. TfW lists cancellations between Treherbert and Cardiff Central until the end of Saturday. Replacement buses are shuttling between Pontypridd and Treherbert. Rail tickets are also accepted on Stagecoach routes 120, 121, 124, 130 and 132 between those towns, and route 132 towards Llandaf and Cathays. Pay as you go cannot be used on local buses; passengers should tap out before changing transport.
Aberystwyth evening services
Predicted high-tide flooding will stop trains between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth from 18:40 until an estimated 21:00 on Saturday. TfW says trains cannot run until the tide falls. The 18:45 Machynlleth–Aberystwyth train is replaced by road transport. The 19:27 Aberystwyth–Birmingham International service will start at Machynlleth at 20:11. Lloyds Coaches buses are advertised from Machynlleth at 18:48 and Aberystwyth at approximately 19:27, at no extra cost.
Heart of Wales and reduced services
The Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury remains closed, with disruption forecast until noon on Sunday. Limited replacement road transport is listed. The end time is an estimate, not a guaranteed restart. Elsewhere, TfW lists two trains an hour between Chester and Llandudno Junction and an hourly service onwards to Holyhead on Saturday. Shrewsbury–Aberystwyth services are reduced to every two hours through Sunday. A separate tree obstruction near Bangor is causing delays of up to 10 minutes; trains are running slowly through the affected area.
Before travelling
Check TfW’s current journey planner and service notices before setting off. Buses take longer than trains and arrangements may change. Unused tickets can be refunded without a fee through the original retailer when a journey is abandoned because of disruption. TfW’s notice contains a mismatch between weekdays and dates in its later-travel concession. Passengers relying on that concession should confirm the valid dates with the operator.