Crosskeys railway station

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Crosskeys railway station is a station serving the village of Crosskeys in the Caerphilly County Borough in Wales. It is on the Ebbw Valley Railway.

Crosskeys
National Rail
General information
LocationCrosskeys, Caerphilly
Wales
Coordinates51°37′15″N 3°07′33″W / 51.6208°N 3.1259°W / 51.6208; -3.1259
Grid referenceST221919
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCKY
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyMonmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
December 1850Line opened
June 1851Crossing used as station
About August 1851Station opened as Cross Keys
30 April 1962Station closed to passengers
7 June 2008Station reopened to passengers as Crosskeys
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.111 million
2019/20Decrease 99,846
2020/21Decrease 12,474
2021/22Increase 53,018
2022/23Increase 72,072
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is situated behind houses on Risca Road and Carlton Terrace. The access to the station is via a one-way system off High Street exiting via Carlton Terrace.

Crosskeys is a two-platform station and there is no car park. The station provides good access to the village and Crosskeys College.

The station marks the end of the double-track passing loop between Risca and Crosskeys; upon leaving Crosskeys trains enter the single track which extends to the railhead in Ebbw Vale Town.

History

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The line through the station site opened on 23 December 1850, at this time there was no station, it was not mentioned in the newspaper report of the line opening nor in the first published timetable.[1][2] By June 1851 trains were ordered to stop at the level crossing here as soon as booking arrangements were complete.[3] This was not uncommon practice in the early days of railways when trains could be boarded at designated stopping-places, passengers clambering aboard from the lineside having purchased tickets from a nearby inn.[4] There was a station on the site by August 1851 as from then it appeared in the timetable, at this time there were two trains each day in each direction, terminating at Newport Courtybella and Blaina.[a][5]

The station re-opened on 7 June 2008, four months after services recommenced on the line.[3]

The station name formerly used by the railways was spelt as two words, the Ordnance Survey using the spelling as one word Crosskeys and the re-opened station has taken this spelling as well.[6][7]

Services

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On Mondays to Saturdays, there are two trains an hour between Cardiff Central or Newport and Ebbw Vale Town in each direction. On Sundays, the Cardiff to Ebbw Vale service runs via Newport every two hours.

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Risca and Pontymister   Transport for Wales
Cardiff / Newport - Ebbw Vale Town
  Newbridge
  Historical railways  
Risca
Line open, station closed
  Great Western Railway
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
  Cwmcarn
Line open, station closed

Notes

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  1. ^ According to Quick (2023) citing material in the minutes of Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company the station was not ordered until January 1863 and opened sometime after then.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Opening of the Western Valleys Railway, Monday, December 23, 1850". Monmouthshire Merlin. 28 December 1850. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company - Western Valleys Line". Monmouthshire Merlin. 4 January 1851. p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c Quick 2023, p. 150.
  4. ^ Biddle 1997, p. 473.
  5. ^ "Western Valleys Railway". Monmouthshire Merlin. 22 August 1851. p. 1.
  6. ^ Monmouthshire Sheet XXVII (Map). Six-inch. Ordnance Survey. 1885.
  7. ^ Bradshaw 2011, table 59.

Bibliography

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