page_title: Wye Valley Railway
section_title: Opening
hierarchical_section_title: Wye Valley Railway / Opening
caption_attribution_description: English: Footbridge over the Wye at Tintern A former railway bridge now taking walkers towards Brockweir, Offa's Dye Path, Devil's Pulpit and the car park at Tidenham.
context_page_description: The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly 15 miles along the Lower Wye Valley between the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. Opened on 1 November 1876, it was leased to, and worked by, the Great Western Railway, before being fully absorbed by the GWR in 1905.
  The line was built with the hope of becoming part of a through trunk route between Bristol and the industrial Midlands, a development which never took place. Although tourism provided some new passenger business in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, the line's income was always weak.
  After nationalisation, British Railways reviewed its viability and withdrew the passenger service on 5 January 1959. A limited goods and mineral service continued until 1964, after which residual traffic continued on the southern end of the route to Tintern Quarry, until 1981, and Dayhouse Quarry, near Tidenham, until 1990.
context_section_description: It had been anticipated that the line would be ready for traffic during 1875. It was announced in the press in April 1876 that "it has been decided to open the reach of the Wye Valley Railway, from Monmouth (Troy), to Redbrook, for goods traffic, this week. The line will be opened to Tintern for general traffic about Midsummer. The entire route to Chepstow will probably be opened next spring."
  On 8 June 1876 a train ran to Redbrook: "On Thursday a Great Western Railway Company's goods train ran from Monmouth to Redbrook and back, thereby opening up this portion of the Wye Valley line to goods traffic... An effort is being made to open the line for goods traffic through, from Monmouth to Redbrook and Tintern...
  On 29 September 1876 the line was inspected by Colonel Rich of the Board of Trade.
  The formal opening of the line took place on 19 October 1876, when the directors and their friends travelled over the line. The newspaper reports, no doubt fed by the Company, insisted that this was "establishing a route of great importance for through traffic between Bristol and the West of England, and Birmingham, Liverpool and other towns in the north... The line will not be opened to the public until 1 November."
  In fact the ceremonial opening took place on 28 October 1876. This was for the directors and their friends, and the full public opening followed on 1 November 1876. The line was leased to, and worked by the Great Western Railway, for 55% of gross receipts for five years, and 50% thereafter. The line was single, with a passing loop at Tintern; there were four passenger trains and one goods train each way daily. There were four intermediate stations on the line, and trains ran from the existing station at Monmouth to Chepstow or Portskewett (for the Bristol ferry) on the South Wales Main Line. The intermediate stations on the line were Redbrook, Bigsweir, Tintern and Tidenham. At Monmouth the new line used the Wyesham extension of the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway.
caption: Footbridge over the Wye at Tintern
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