Railway line is blocked by landslide

A LANDSLIP last night blocked a key railway line in the South Wales Valleys – with the disruption set to cause a major headache for commuters this morning.

British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed that the landslip occurred on the Rhondda line between Treherbert and Porth, due to the heavy rain in the area.

A spokesperson tweeted that the line will still be blocked today.

And they warned of further disruption elsewhere on the network.

Due to flooding between Rhoose and Bridgend that line was due be closed this morning while the track was inspected.

The landslip will affect stations at Ynyswen, Treorchy, Ton Pentre, Ystrad Rhondda, Llwynypia, Tonypandy and Dinas Rhondda.

BTP Pontypridd tweeted: “A landslip between Porth & Treherbert has blocked the line between these stations.

“Due to the severity of the landslide it is suspected that the line will still be blocked [on Monday].”

Arriva Trains Wales has confirmed that a replacement bus service will operate between these stations today.

It came on a day of torrential downpours across the region, which brought travel disruption to drivers and public transport passengers.

A flooded line between Cardiff and Bridgend saw the line blocked but later reopened.

However, trains between Rhoose Cardiff International and Bridgend were last night suspended with a bus service running instead.

Trains between Llantwit Major and Bridgend were subject to delays or cancellation yesterday evening, Network Rail said. And the rain – which saw South Wales being placed under a yellow ‘be aware’ warning for most of the day – also led to difficult driving conditions, with surface water causing problems across the main road network.

As well as crashes on the M4, localised surface water led to problems in parts of Cardiff, including the Richmond Road area, and across the South Wales Valleys.

Forecasters predicted a drier and brighter day today with some sunny spells developing into the afternoon, but warned of a more unsettled outlook, with spells of rain from tomorrow onwards.