page_title: Urban rail in the United Kingdom
section_title: Cardiff
hierarchical_section_title: Urban rail in the United Kingdom / Cities / Cardiff
caption_attribution_description: English: Arriva Trains Wales Class 142 railbus DMU 142002 and another, unidentified, Class 142 approach Cardiff Central from the west with a Valley Lines service. The route indicator is displaying "Bridgend", which is west of Cardiff, so it is probable that this service will terminate at Cardiff Central and that Bridgend is the destination of the next service.
context_page_description: Urban or suburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travellers on a daily basis.
context_section_description: The Valley Lines network of eight lines (Cardiff Bay Line, City Line, Coryton Line, Maesteg Line, Merthyr Line, Rhondda Line, Rhymney Line and Vale of Glamorgan Line) incorporates 20 stations in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and 61 in surrounding towns and villages. Its hubs are Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central. Train frequencies are up to every five minutes. The Ebbw Valley Railway also draws commuters to the capital.
  Transport for Wales operates the stations and services. In February 2008, the Ebbw Valley Railway re-opened after 45 years with an hourly service to Cardiff Central. Until the line's closure in 1962, passengers had had to change at Newport.
  The Maesteg line is incorporated into the wider network: trains continue to Cheltenham Spa from Cardiff Central. The Vale of Glamorgan Line serves Cardiff Airport.
  However, the network neglects large residential areas in the south-west and east of Cardiff, although the South Wales Main Line runs through these areas without any stations. These areas include Caerau in the south-west and Rumney and St Mellons in the east.
  Between 1995 and 2001, the network (except the Maesteg Line) was operated by Valley Lines. It then became part of the Wales & Borders franchise before becoming part of the Arriva Trains Wales franchise in 2003, and subsequently the Transport for Wales franchise in 2018.
caption: Arriva Trains Wales Class 142 at Cardiff Central
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