page_title: Aberthaw
section_title: Transport
hierarchical_section_title: Aberthaw / Transport
caption_attribution_description: English: Aberthaw - 20060902 - Overview as 66101 waits to enter Aberthaw Power Station.jpg Self, taken on Nokia 6310i from Aberthaw village carpark
context_page_description: Aberthaw is an area consisting of the villages of East Aberthaw and West Aberthaw and Aberthaw Cement Works, Aberthaw Lime Works, and Aberthaw Power Station, a coal power station plant that is linked to the South Wales Valleys via the Vale of Glamorgan Railway between Barry and Bridgend on the coast of South Wales. It is located historically within the parish of Penmark in the Vale of Glamorgan, west of Barry. The two villages of West and East Aberthaw are separated by the River Thaw. The village of East Aberthaw, near Rhoose, has a notable pub and local church.
context_section_description: Aberthaw High Level station was a four-track station on the Vale of Glamorgan Railway. There was no connection with the former single line Taff Vale Railway's Aberthaw Low Level station on the defunct Cowbridge and Aberthaw railway, The latter which also served the now Grade II-listed Aberthaw (Pebble) Limeworks from 1892 until 1926 and ran from Llantrisant via Cowbridge, was lifted by June 1934. The double track Vale of Glamorgan line from Barry to Bridgend, closed to passengers on 15 June 1964 but reopened to passengers on 10 June 2005, serving only Rhoose (for Cardiff International Airport) and Llantwit Major. Aberthaw (High Level) station was permanently closed and its platform tracks lifted some years ago and in March 2013, Aberthaw signal box which controlled main line traffic and rail coal traffic access to Aberthaw power station(s), was taken out of use and all remaining pointwork and signalling was transferred to the Wales Railway Operating Centre (WROC) at Cardiff.  (When Aberthaw West signal box controlling the Aberthaw Cement Works exchange rail traffic, closed in September 1980, Aberthaw East 'box was simply named 'Aberthaw'). In December 2019, the remaining Aberthaw "B" power station was closed and was being decommissioned in 2020. Aberthaw signal box being the only remaining example of its kind, is now devoid of all internal equipment but is a Grade II listed structure but inaccessible to the public. It stands on the down platform of the demolished Aberthaw High Level station about 100m to the west of Station Terrace in East Aberthaw. Aberthaw Cement Works, a mile to the north is still rail-connected as at April 2020 and rail traffic to & from the works is controlled from a local, crew-controlled ground-frame which is interlocked with the WROC. The former Taff Vale Railway's Aberthaw Low Level station opened in 1892 and served the village and connection to the limeworks at low level. With the closure of the low level station in 1931, the words 'High Level' were removed from Aberthaw's Vale of Glamorgan station. The up platform at Aberthaw now houses private dwellings and a further addition was being constructed in April 2020. One kilometre to the north is the B4265 road which connects Barry to Bridgend, via Llantwit Major and St Brides Major. Cardiff Airport is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the north east. From the crossroads at the 14th century Blue Anchor Inn, Well Road drops down a short steep hill to pass under an arched bridge carrying the double track Vale of Glamorgan line and extended in 1958 to carry new double tracks to Aberthaw "A" and "B" power stations. To the east from the crossroads, Port Road, a narrow lane, leads uphill to a farm group (Upper House Farm) and then passes over Aberthaw Cement Work's tunnel-connected extensive blue lias limestone quarries and on to some woodland at the hamlet of Fonmon with alternative unclassified road access to Fontygary and Rhoose or to the B4265, passing Fonmon Castle.
caption: Aberthaw station. Overview as 66101 waits to enter Power Station
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