Barry Railway Company  Barry to Trehafod.

Opened : 1889

Closed - Tonteg - Trehafod 1930 (passengers) 1951 (goods), Cadoxton - Treforest 1963

Engineering Code: CTD, TRZ (Treforest Branch)

Length 17m 12c

Route : Cadoxton - Wenvoe - Ty'n y Caeau Junction - Creigiau - Efail Isaf - Tonteg - Treforest Tunnel - Trehafod

This line linked up with the Taff Valley Railway at Trehafod and Treforest and the Barry Railway Company's Cardiff to Bridgend line via Barry at Cadoxton.
More details on the dates of construction and abandonment can be found here (RAILSCOT website). The main purpose of this page is to show what is left of this route about 40 years after abandonment. The table on the right details the current state of the line. There is a photogallery at the bottom of the page.

map Trehafod to Graig
The north portal of the Treforest Tunnel, located in the Pontypridd Hospital Car Park is bricked up.

South of the Treforest Tunnel, the site is taken up by the University of Glamorgan campus, obscuring the southern portal and also the site of the Treforest station, located where the security lodge is now. The bridge over Forest Grove Rd has been removed. Southbound, the trackbed has been overbuilt by a small industrial estate and runs behind some houses until it meets the A 473 Llantwit Road. Here, theTaff valley has steep sides, and the track has been cut into the hillside, paralleling the TVR. THis section of trackbed is relatively clear, except around the site of the A 473 bridge and the footpath crossing at Graig Y Fforest, where an earth bank with steps has been put across. The junction with the spur to the TVR.....After the track to Trehafod was abandoned in the 1930's, The Treforest Tunnel was used as an ammunition store during the war. The northern terminus of the Barry Railway was transferred to Llantwit Road station, now the site of a university car park.The Tonteg Road bridge was removed in the 1990's for road improvement works. This section of the Barry Railway took over some of the TVR Llantrisant branch traffic following the completion of the Tonteg Loop
The section around Tonteg Junction is heavily overgrown. The bridge of the TVR over the Barry Railwway has been removed, and the Barry Railway cutting is muddy and overgrown. The deep cutting continues, overgrown to Maes Mawr Road bridge where the land is a private paddock. Tonteg Rd bridge has been removed for road widening works. Maes Mawr bridge is a double arch and girder type, taking the low level through track and the higher level loop from the TVR line. This high level loop also has the surviving Tonteg Halt platform. This is a short platform that has been heavily overgrown. Station access was from the east end of the bridge. The original Barry line platform was completely removed in the 1930's, an earth mound is all that remains.The loop line is less muddy and overgrown than the main line due to its higher elevation.
To the north of Station Road bridge the trackbed is open for about 1km towards Tonteg, although the cutting at Tonteg is boggy. Efail Isaf station is partially demolished although the platforms are extant. The trackbed to the south is open for a few hundred metres but the cutting aound the Heol Dowlais road bridge is flooded and overgrown.
Criegiau station is derelict and overgrown but accessible. The platform is still in good condition, although none of the other station buildings survive. Trackbed from Cardiff Road bridge to Ty n y Coed Bridge is open although muddy in places. The girder bridge over the TVR Waterhall Branch has been removed, although the iron pillars still stand. The bed of the TVR branch is very muddy although some planks had been laid across. The section between the TVR crossover and Creigiau station is clear. The arch bridge of Creigiau Farm lane is private. South of Creigiau station, the line appears clear for some distance.
The section of track between St Bride's road and Cardiff Road, Criegiau is inaccessible. Parts have been overbuilt by the A4232 bypass and others are on private land and are overgrown. Cardiff Road, Creigiau bridge has been removed as part of road improvement works. The A 4119 Llantrisant Rd bridge is a newer concrete structure that now serves as a livestock shelter.
The section of track between St Bride's Road Bridge and Cadoxton is shared with Barry Railway to Llanbradach


List of extant and notable demolished structures
Structure Name Type Construction Condition Grid ref 1 Grid ref 2
Rhondda bridge Rail over road and river Stone abutments with steel lattice top Abutments and pillar remain ST 050 909
Pontypridd Graig Station 2 platform station
Demolished ST 069 896
Treforest Tunnel Twin-tack tunnel, no shafts Stone walls, brick arch Bricked up ST 069 896 ST 078 887
Treforest High Level Station 2 platform station
Demolished ST 081 885
Maes Mawr Road bridge Road over rail Brick abutments, girder / nested brick arches Intact ST 096 864
Tonteg Station 2 platform station Staggered, short platforms Earth mound (foundation) of down-line platform ST 096 864
Station Road bridge Rail over road Stone abutment, iron panel top Abutments remain ST 089 851
Efail Isaf Station 2 platform station
Platforms remain ST 087 850
Heol Dowlais Road bridge Road over Rail Brick abutments, girder / nested brick arches Intact ST 083 845
Ty Mawr lane bridge Road over Rail Brick/stone arch Intact ST 082 842
Ty'n y Coed Road bridge Road over Rail Brick abutments, girder / nested brick arches Intact ST 081 826
Waterhall Branch bridge Rail over rail Iron columns, with steel lattice top Columns remain ST 081 823
Creigiau Farm lane bridge Road over rail Brick/stone arch Intact ST 081 819
Criegiau Station 2 platform station
Platforms remain ST 083 815
Pant y Gored Road bridge Road over rail Stone abutments, girder / nested brick arches Intact ST 083 815
Llantrisant Road bridge Road over rail Concrete beam Intact ST 085 803
St Y'Nell road Bridge Road over rail Brick/stone arch Intact ST 096 788


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