Ely Main Line railway station

Ely Main Line railway station served the suburb of Ely, Cardiff until the 1960s.

For the railway station in Ely, Cambridgeshire, see Ely railway station.

Ely Main Line
General information
LocationEly, Cardiff
Wales
Coordinates 51.4853°N 3.2306°W / 51.4853; -3.2306
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companySouth Wales Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
2 September 1852opened
1 July 1924Renamed Ely Main Line
10 September 1962[1]closed to passengers
5 August 1963closed to freight

History and description

The station opened with the opening of the South Wales Railway to serve what was then a growing suburb. In the early 20th Century, over 400,000 tickets were issued each year (due in part to close proximity to the Ely Racecourse), and the station also handled high volumes of freight from the Ely Paper Mills and Creswell's Brewery.[2] After the 1923 grouping of railway companies, the suffix 'Main Line' was added (the Great Western Railway added suffixes to many stations in South Wales at around this time to ease confusion). Despite its earlier popularity, the station's profits slumped in the postwar years. After April 1959, only four trains per day (two in each direction) called at Ely Main Line, and the weekend services were withdrawn.[3]

The station closed in 1962 (before the Beeching Axe) when British Railways discontinued passenger services between Cardiff Clarence Road and Pontypridd via St Fagans on economic grounds.[4] At least two different dates for passenger closure have appeared in print: 10 April 1962,[5] and September 1962.[6]

Freight closure followed in 1963, and the sidings nearby went out of use in 1964.

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Cardiff Central
Line and station open		   Great Western Railway
South Wales Railway		   St Fagans
Line open, station closed

References
  1. Passengers No More by G.Daniels and L.Dench second edition page 49
  2. Jenkins, S. and Loader, M. The Great Western Railway Volume VI: The South Wales Main Line. Amberley. 2016. p.65
  3. Mitchell, V. & Smith, K. Cardiff to Swansea. Middleton Press. 2009. p.20
  4. Horton, P. The Beeching Legacy. Silver Link.2013. p.85
  5. Mitchell, V. & Smith, K. Cardiff to Swansea. Middleton Press. 2009. 20
  6. Horton, P. The Beeching Legacy. Silver Link.2013. p.85
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