Barry Island

Barry Island / Ynys y Barri
Opened	3 August 1896
CRS code	BYI
Operator	Transport for Wales
Platforms	1
Community Details
Station of the Month	October 2021
Category	Wales

Barry Island opened on 3 August 1896 as part of a short extension from Barry onto the island. The station was built to provide a service to the then-developing leisure park in the area, running along a new elevated causeway. A further extension opened less than a year later to Barry Pier to connect with paddle steamer ships operating across the Bristol Channel.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s the line to Barry Island boomed, with over 100,000 passengers arriving into the town at the height of the summer season. Many additional, special services would be laid on to get holidaymakers to their destination, often at short notice.

Following the rise of the private motor car in the 1950s and 1960s, however, usage on the line began to dramatically decline. In line with the abolition of services across the country, Barry Island began to see severe rationalisation. The line from Barry was singled in 1969, whilst the line to Barry Pier was closed in 1976. Barry Island's platforms also started to be reduced around the same time, with only one platform in regular use by the early 1980s.

Today, the station is served by a two trains per hour to each of Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil via Pontypridd, usually operated by class 150 Sprinter units. As part of the South Wales Metro project to upgrade the Core Valley Lines, these are due to be replaced by class 756 tri-modal FLIRT trains in the future, with services running instead to Rhymney.

Station of the Month

The station featured in the inaugural October 2021 Stations of the Month competition in the NR Wales category. There were no entries.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Barry towards Aberdare or Merthyr Tydfil		Transport for Wales		Terminus