Frustration over railway footbridge replacement delays five-and-a-half years on

A railway footbridge damaged five-and-a-half years ago is yet to be replaced, despite promises.

The Tynygraig footbridge, which goes over the Rhymney line in Llanbradach, was struck by a skip lorry in May 2020.

Early last year, Transport for Wales (TfW) pledged to have replaced the bridge before the end of 2024.

However, TfW needs to buy a piece of land to be able to build the replacement footbridge – something which continues to delay the project.

However, councillors in Llanbradach are now demanding more is done to speed up the process.

Plaid Cymru councillor Colin Mann said: “I’ve been told by [Caerphilly County Borough Council] officers that the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process is likely to take between six and nine months to complete.

“I’m pressing for that process to be speeded up because Llanbradach has been without this footbridge for such a long time. No one has really explained why the process takes so long.”

His ward colleague, Cllr Gary Enright, added: “This saga has gone on too long. Residents naturally want to see this link restored and it is frustrating that the process takes so long.”

According to the Plaid group, the council said it was continuing to push progress on the CPO and the relevant documents were due from the authority’s solicitors very shortly.

A TfW spokesperson said: “We know how important this pathway across the railway is to the community and we understand the frustration the ongoing delay is causing.

“Unfortunately, as the bridge is not on railway land, we need to purchase a site to construct the new bridge and a temporary compound for the works.”

The spokesperson continued: “The legal negotiations for the sale remain the single most significant delay to our work but we are continuing to work with the local authority to explore a solution, and we remain committed to finding a resolution for the community.”