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The Ebbw Valley railway line will be closed for two-and-a-half weeks as multi-million pound upgrades near completion.

The line, which serves the stations for Newbridge, Crosskeys, and Risca and Pontymister, closed on Wednesday November 15 and is not expected to reopen until Sunday December 3.

The works will allow direct train services to Newport along the Ebbw Valley line, which are expected to be running from next month.

Around 1.2km of track upgrades will be carried out by Network Rail engineers at nine different locations between Crosskeys and Crumlin. This will, according to Network Rail, allow for the completion of a seven-mile loop enabling trains to pass.

The line, which reopened to passengers in 2008 after being closed for more than 40 years, will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport – and more than 60 services a day.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council received a £70 million interest-free loan to carry out infrastructure improvements in its area alongside work by Network Rail and service operator Transport for Wales.

Nick Millington, of Network Rail, said the work will “transform how passengers travel on the Ebbw Vale line and encourage more people to use public transport and support our aim of decarbonisation”.

He added: “To keep everyone safe, this work can only be carried out while the line is closed and we are sorry for any inconvenience.

Colin Lea, of Transport for Wales, said the works are “vital for the timetable enhancements we’ll be bringing in on this route”.

A rail replacement service is operating between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff Central while the line is closed.