Radyr railway station

Infobox UK station
name=Radyr
code=RDR


manager=Arriva Trains Wales
locale=Radyr
borough=Cardiff
platforms=3
start= 1863
usage0405 = 0.296
usage0506 = 0.315
usage0607 = 0.356

Radyr railway station is a railway station serving the Radyr area of Cardiff. It is located at the foot of the hill at the eastern edge of the village, alongside the River Taff and adjacent to the Taff Trail.

Radyr was originally a major railway junction and sidings for freight trains used in the industries located in the Welsh valleys. It was first opened by the Taff Vale Railway in 1863 [cite book|author=Hutton, John|title=The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 1|publisher=Silver Link|year=2006 ISBN 978-1-85794-249-1] . In recent years it has been redesigned into a commuter station and the old sidings used for parking and housing developments.

Passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales. Prior to 1998, the station consisted of one up platform and one down platform. The introduction of an hourly service running via the newly opened City Line in 1987 caused a major bottleneck, as the terminating trains coming off the line blocked the down platform, and delays along the line to the valleys were inevitable. However, in 1998, major renovations took place at the station, resulting in the two freight lines being replaced by a third platform, eliminating the problem of congestion. Also, a new ticket office was built and modern shelters replaced the old waiting area. These renovations coincided with the upgrades along the Taff Main Line, where the majority of track was replaced between Cardiff and Pontypridd, and the old fashioned semaphore signals were replaced with modern, colour light signals.

Today, the station has three platforms. Platform 1 is used for trains heading towards Cardiff Central on the Rhondda and Merthyr lines. Platforms 2 and 3 are used both for trains heading away from Cardiff and as a terminus for the City line. The majority of the trains stopping at Radyr run on the Merthyr and Rhondda lines.

The car park is located on the opposite side of the rails to platform 3. The station is not accessible to the disabled as a bridge is required to access all three platforms. Platform 1 is also accessible from a road that passes under the rails close to the car park entrance, up a flight of stairs and past the old waiting shelter. However, the proximity of the car park and ticket office to the aerial bridge has left this route largely disused.

The ticket office is manned during peak morning hours. Travel time into Cardiff Central is 15 minutes on all lines, with trains on the Rhondda and Merthyr lines running approximately every 15 minutes.

In July 2007, members of the Radyr Comprehensive Green Flag Committee formally adopted the station and now frequently check that the station is clean and that all amenities are working. This link ties in with a community response to ensure that railway crime (such as train robbery) is stamped out.

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