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A section of the Rhymney Valley Line is set to close for a total of three months as work on the next phase of the South Wales Metro begins.

Starting at the end of March, an “intensive” eight-month stretch of engineering work is set to electrify more than 15km of railway line.

However it does come with significant disruption, as trains between Caerphilly and Rhymney are set to close for a total of three months.

The first ‘extended closure’ of six weeks will start on Saturday April 12 – the day of the Caerphilly Food Festival – until Friday May 23.

The second six-week closure will start on Saturday July 19 and continue until Sunday August 31.

As well as this, the same section of track will be closed for mid-week evening engineering works which will run from from Mondays to Thursdays after 7pm between March and October.

A two-week closure is also planned from October 18.

While there will be “occasional” closures to the full line, most extended closures will affect stations between Caerphilly and Rhymney.

Transport for Wales (TfW) added that weekend closures are also expected “throughout the year”.

Dan Tipper, chief infrastructure officer at TfW said: “We are excited to embark on our transformation programme to upgrade the Rhymney line as part of the South Wales Metro project, aimed at transforming public transport in South Wales. 

“We’ll be carrying out major infrastructure improvements on the line, including the installation of overhead line equipment to electrify the line and upgrades to local railway stations. 

“We appreciate the patience of our customers and neighbours living near the railway as we carry out these upgrades.

“We understand that rail closures and engineering work may cause disruption for those who rely on our services and for those living close to the tracks and would like to urge all customers to check before traveling during this period.” 

A full list of planned rail closures on the Rhymney line is available on TfW’s website.  

Due to the number of planned rail closures, TfW recommends that all passengers travelling along the Rhymney line check before they travel using TfW’s journey checker tool.  

Rail replacement buses

Rail replacement buses will be running, matching the original train schedules, during the works.

Buses will run every 15 minutes between Caerphilly and Bargoed, and every 30 minutes between Bargoed and Rhymney.

Rail services will run as normal for major events and concerts at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.