A major update has been issued regarding the much-anticipated Porth Transport Hub. Despite construction on the building being complete, it has been sat empty for close to a year, causing much frustration for local residents who have faced significant disruption with rail travel over the last year while Transport for Wales upgraded the Treherbert Line.
However, First Minister Eluned Morgan has confirmed that the hub is now set to open “within the coming weeks” after Rhondda MS Buffy Williams raised the issue in the Senedd again on Tuesday, January 7. The First Minister also confirmed that residents in the Rhondda Fach will benefit from improved bus-rail ticketing when the hub opens after TfW reached an agreement with Stagecoach buses
The £6.6m hub project, funded by Welsh Government and Cardiff City Region City Deal along with £3.5m from the Levelling Up Fund, aims to improve transport across the Rhondda Valley by linking bus and rail services. The hub was penned for completion in spring 2023, but has faced numerous delays.
Back in July, a TfW spokesperson told WalesOnline that they were “working to open [the hub] by August. We’ll be able to share an official opening date shortly.” In October, local councillor Ros Davis confirmed that work on the building was finished by the council had finished in December 2023 but its opening was delayed due to the “legal process” involved in transferring its ownership to TfW.
She added: “We are very grateful for this investment in Porth which RCT Council has secured. It will be a great facility that will improve travel in the Rhondda and provide a welcome boost to our town centre. It can’t open soon enough in our eyes.”
Responding to Buffy Williams MS’s about the idle transport hub, the First Minister confirmed that residents will not have to wait much longer: “I know Transport for Wales are working closely with Rhondda Cynon Taf to open the Porth interchange. I understand that that is being planned within the coming weeks, so they won’t have to wait for too much longer.
“They’ve also reached an agreement with Stagecoach buses to introduce improved bus-rail ticketing in the Rhondda Fach. That’s going to be introduced when the new Porth bus station opens.”
Further details on the official opening date are expected to be announced by Transport for Wales. For the latest Rhondda news, sign up to our newsletter here