28-619: The Bute Merthyr Colliery , in Treherbert in the Rhondda Valley , was the first colliery to produce steam coal in the Rhondda valley . A trial pit was dug in 1851, and the colliery was closed in 1926. In 1849, Marquess of Bute bought the Cwmsaerbren farm from William Davies for £12,000. W. S. Clarke was employed to sink the first trial shaft in 1851. In April 1853 the first seam was struck at
56-625: A Payzone facility. That same year, a new ticketing arrangement with Unicard came into effect, enabling Transport for Wales to become the first British train operator outside of London to deploy contactless EMV services. Funding for Transport for Wales Rail's operations is sourced from both the Welsh and British governments. Cost increases, such as the South Wales Metro's original budget of £738 million having risen to in excess of £1 billion, have been politically controversial. During October 2023,
84-490: A depth of 125 yards (114 m). A second shaft had been sunk by 1855, when the first coal was produced. Progress was slow because all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway 's then terminus at Dinas . 51°40′28″N 3°32′30″W / 51.67444°N 3.54167°W / 51.67444; -3.54167 Treherbert Treherbert ( Welsh pronunciation )
112-762: A maximum passenger capacity of 256. In March 2023, the first of these tram-trains was delivered; testing commenced nine months later. In November 2024, the first of the Class 756 tri-mode trains entered service on the Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare lines. On 29 May 2021, TfW Rail permanently withdrew its fleet of Class 143 Pacers , which were not compliant with persons with reduced mobility legislation (PRM) and their PRM dispensation expired; their duties were taken over by PRM-compliant vehicles. Between September 2021 and November 2022, all of TfW Rail's two-car Class 170 sets were transferred to East Midlands Railway. Operation of
140-506: A number of isolated rural farms and scattered homesteads. In 1841 there were only 218 people residing in the 'Middle hamlet of Treherbert', which had risen to 1,203 by 1861. In August 1845, the trustees of the Marquess of Bute bought the Cwmsaerbren farm from William Davies for a fee of £11,000 to sink the first steam coal pit in the Rhondda valley. A trial pit was sunk from 1850, but progress
168-589: A pilot scheme involving 90 convenience stores across South Wales to provide a new means of purchasing rail tickets; this scheme operated via a partnership with Payzone and used SilverRail retailing technology. TfW is the first UK-based train operating company to partner with Payzone. During August 2023, this arrangement was extended to North Wales and the Wirral via a partnership between Transport for Wales and numerous local businesses under which train tickets became available for purchase from local retail outlets offering
196-534: A result of the introduction of Class 800s and Class 801s on the East Coast Main Line . The Mark 4 coaches have retained the Virgin Trains East Coast livery, but with Transport for Wales labels attached. The Mark 4 Driving Van Trailers will be repainted into the new Transport for Wales livery. Four of the six Class 67 locomotives have been repainted into TfW Rail livery. TfW Rail introduced
224-587: Is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company , a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government -owned company. It commenced operations of the day to day services of the Wales & Borders franchise on 7 February 2021, as an operator of last resort , succeeding KeolisAmey Wales . Transport for Wales Rail manages 248 National Rail stations, including all 223 in Wales, and operates all passenger mainline services wholly within Wales, and services along
252-548: Is a mutation of the Welsh word ‘Tref’, meaning ‘town’, derived from the word for a homestead or hamlet under old Cymric law. ‘Herbert’ was the surname of the Earls of Pembroke, a dynasty of local magnates. There is evidence of settlements in the Rhondda dating back to Celtic times, but prior to the Industrial Revolution and the advent of coal mining the villages of Treherbert, Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm consisted of
280-514: Is a village and community situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf , Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan . Treherbert is the upper most community of the Rhondda Fawr and encompasses the districts of Blaencwm , Blaenrhondda , Tynewydd and Pen-yr-englyn . 'Tre-Herbert' or 'Tre Herbert' is correctly pronounced as in 'Tre Herbert'. 'Tre'
308-834: Is also home to Welsh darts player Wayne Warren . Treherbert Band is one of the longest established bands in the South Wales area. It was originally formed around 1897 as Treherbert Drum and Fife Band, later becoming a brass band associated with the Glenrhondda Colliery. Following the closure of the colliery, the band continued but was renamed variously the Upper Rhondda Band, Treherbert & District Silver Band, Treherbert Band, and now Treherbert & District Band. Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited , branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( Welsh : Trafnidiaeth Cymru and TrC Trenau ),
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#1732844085285336-523: The England–Wales border , many of which run into or through England. During May 2018, the Wales & Borders franchise was awarded by Transport for Wales to KeolisAmey Wales . Operations commenced in October 2018; at this point, the franchise was scheduled to run for 15 years. Within two years, the franchisee had experienced a collapse in revenues and a significant reduction in passenger numbers, which
364-656: The Heart of Wales line . For the longer term fleet replacement, 148 brand new trains will be introduced including 77 CAF Civity trains ( Class 197 ), 35 FLIRT trains ( Class 231 & Class 756 ) and 36 Citylink tram-trains ( Class 398 ) have been ordered. The addition of these trains to the fleet, from 2021 to 2024 but mostly in 2022–23, will allow the 109 (total) Class 150, 153 (13 by then), 158, 175 and 769 units to be withdrawn. A total of 77 Class 197 Civity diesel multiple units were ordered from CAF for long-distance routes. These trains have end gangways, but fewer toilets than
392-754: The Borderlands line at the beginning of April 2023. A total of 35 Stadler FLIRT units have been ordered (consisting of 24 Class 756 tri-modes - 7 three-car & 17 four-car units - and 11 Class 231 diesel-electrics ), along with 36 Class 398 Stadler Citylink tram-trains . These units will be manufactured at Stadler's factory in Szolnok, Hungary, and assembled at their plant in Bussnang, Switzerland. The Class 398 tram-trains are particularly unusual, being able to operate on both heavy rail and at street-level; accordingly, each three car unit features level boarding and has
420-509: The Class 150, Class 153, and Class 158 fleets. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Six Class 67 locomotives have been adapted to work with three sets each comprising four Mark 4 carriages and a Mark 4 Driving Van Trailer , which will replace the Mark 3 stock previously used on locomotive-hauled services. The twelve carriages and three DVTs were able to cascade from London North Eastern Railway , as
448-547: The Class 158 and Class 175 DMUs they replace. They are however faster, with more powerful engines and more efficient transmissions for better acceleration, as well as a higher top speed than the Class 158. 51 units are two-cars in length and 26 are three-cars in length. CAF undertook the fabrication, welding and painting of the Class 197 fleet in their factory in Beasain , Spain. The first Driving Motor carriage vehicle bodyshell had largely passed this stage by 12 February 2020, when it
476-599: The Mark 4 sets in June 2021 on Cardiff to Holyhead services, and from December 2022 they will operate services between Swansea and Manchester using trains which had previously been planned to be used on the Blackpool route by Grand Central . The three Mark 4 sets will be retained and will remain on the routes they will work from their date of introduction on TfW Rail services. TfW Rail will retain eight Class 153 units to operate services on
504-755: The Welsh government announced that it would provide an additional £125 million for Transport for Wales in response to a revenue shortfall from fares; this funding top-up was a substantial rise at a time of considerably budgetary pressure. As of June 2024 , Transport for Wales Rail operates these regular and daily services Monday to Friday: Transport for Wales Rail inherited KeolisAmey Wales's fleet, which consisted of Class 143 , 150 , 153 , 158 , 170 and 175 diesel multiple units, Class 230 diesel-battery electric multiple units, Class 769 bi-mode multiple units and Mark 4 and DVT sets with an allocation of Class 67 locomotives. During its first years of operation, TfW Rail enacted multiple fleet changes. This
532-428: The ancestors of the Marquess of Bute . The first 38 wagons of steam coal were transported from the newly extended Taff Vale Railway station at Gelligaled (Ystrad) to Cardiff Docks on 21 December 1855. Installation of the railway line facilitated the rapid expansion of the village, and the need to build new houses, the first rows of which were built at Bute Street, Dumfries Street, and Baglan Street. The main road in
560-537: The early termination of the franchise, KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales would continue a partnership to enact further improvements on the network; specifically, Amey Infrastructure Wales (AIW) would remain involved in the delivery of various key projects, such as upgrading the Core Valley Lines . On 7 February 2021, the Welsh Government-owned operator Transport for Wales Rail Limited took over running
588-685: The franchise's services. Perhaps one of the most prominent undertaking for TfW Rail is the implementation and future operation of the South Wales Metro ; this will involve various infrastructure changes, including a brand new depot at Taff's Well , as well as a new fleet of trains built by Stadler Rail . One of the more unusual elements of this programme is the fleet of Class 398 battery-electric tram-trains , which will operate on both on-street tracks and conventional railways. Since taking on operations, Transport for Wales has introduced numerous changes to ticketing. On 24 January 2021, it launched
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#1732844085285616-545: The line descended into a single-track tunnel under Mynydd Blaengwynfi, emerging in the village of Blaengwynfi in the nearby Afan valley. The journey took approximately 8 minutes. Treherbert is home to rugby union club Treherbert RFC . The team is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and was founded by local colliers in 1879. Treherbert also produced one of Wales' first rugby league teams, Treherbert RLFC , playing for just two seasons between 1908 and 1910. Treherbert
644-858: The northerly direction out of Treherbert is the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road towards Hirwaun and the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road. It was built as a relief project for unemployed miners and opened in November 1929. Treherbert railway station is the last stop on the Transport for Wales Rhondda Line , which runs from Cardiff . Prior to the Dr Beeching plans in the 1960s the railway line continued from Treherbert through Tynewydd to Blaencwm . From here it turned left at Pen Pych into Blaencwm. In Blaencwm,
672-460: The three-car Class 170 continued through to spring 2023, at which point the last of TfW Rail's three-car units was transferred to the East Midlands. The final 170 transferred on 29 January 2024. In May 2022, Transport for Wales announced the abrupt withdrawal of two Class 150 trains from service after they were involved with a collision at Craven Arms. In May 2023, Transport for Wales withdrew
700-583: Was largely attributable to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic ; this trend led to the financial circumstances of the KeolisAmey Wales franchise becoming untenable. In response, during October 2020, the Welsh Government announced that it would be transferring operations of the Wales & Borders franchise from KeolisAmey Wales to an operator of last resort . It was also stated that, despite
728-457: Was largely driven by pre-existing procurement arrangements that had been arranged by KeolisAmey Wales; at one point, it was intended for the majority of TfW Rail's inherited rolling stock, along with additional temporary vehicles, to be replaced by 2023 (with the exception of the Class 67 locomotives). Under these plans, the Class 197 and 231 diesel multiple units, Class 756 tri-mode multiple units and Class 398 tram-trains were set to replace
756-642: Was pictured in the Beasain factory. The painted bodyshells were shipped to Newport, South Wales, for further assembly and component fit-out at CAF's new UK factory in Llanwern . Five Class 230 D-Train diesel-battery electric multiple units were built in England from former London Underground D78 Stock aluminium bodyshells by start-up rolling stock manufacturer Vivarail between 2019 and 2020. Originally expected to enter service from May 2022, they began operations on
784-538: Was slow because all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway 's then terminus at Dinas . In April 1853 the first seam of what was called the Bute Merthyr Colliery was struck at a depth of 125 yards, and production was begun in early 1855. Parish records showed the first use of the name Treherbert from January 1855, commemorating the Herbert earls of Pembroke , one of
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