Major rail disruption and services cancelled as heat damages line

Rail passengers are facing major travel disruption as the heatwave has brought a number of South Wales Valleys lines to a complete standstill. There are no services between Pontypridd and Merthyr and Aberdare as the railway line has been damaged by heat.

Transport for Wales (TfW) say they are unable to run any services on the line for "safety reasons". They are asking passengers not to travel between Pontypridd and Merthyr and Aberdare.

The National Rail website states there will be no trains today. Customers are being advised to continue to check before they travel for journeys on Sunday morning.

The cancellations are likely to cause significant disruption for the thousands of fans heading to the Stereophonics' second night at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Rail services are continuing to run between Cardiff Central and Pontypridd. TfW added that services are being strengthened where possible. Get the latest Ponty news first by signing up to our newsletter here.

Train tickets are also being accepted with Stagecoach between Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil, and Aberdare on services 60, 61, T4 and 78.

A spokesman for TfW said: "We apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience caused and our infrastructure teams are working hard to restore the line."

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