Blackwood Interchange

Blackwood Interchange (Welsh: Cyfnewidfa Coed Duon) is a bus station located in the town centre of Blackwood, Caerphilly, South Wales. It is situated on Gordon Road adjacent to the High Street.

Blackwood Interchange Cyfnewidfa Coed Duon
Bus station
A classic bus in service at the rebuilt Blackwood Bus Station
Location	Blackwood Bus Station Gordon Road Blackwood NP12 1AA Caerphilly Wales
Coordinates	51.66490°N 3.19579°W
Owned by	Caerphilly County Borough Council
Operated by	Caerphilly County Borough Council
Bus routes	18
Bus stands	Total: 9 stands
Bus operators	Stagecoach in South Wales, NAT Group, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Harris Coaches, Glyn Evans & Son
Connections	Cardiff, Newport, Pontypridd, Cwmbran, Tredegar, Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach railway station, Wyllie, New Tredegar, Abertillery
Construction
Structure type	Glass facade building with cafe and waiting room
Parking	None
Bicycle facilities	Racks
Disabled access	Level boarding
Other information
Station code	cpygawj
Website	https://www.traveline.info/
History
Opened	14 November 2007[1]

Background

The existing Blackwood Bus Station redeveloped by Caerphilly County Borough Council in 2007.[2] The project cost an approximate £2.4 million.[3]

During development, traders in the town centre voiced concerns that "customers will be put off walking through the market when contractors move in"[4] however Councillors reassured concerned individuals with the prospect of a reduction in the business rate for affected businesses.[4]

Architect Geraint Jones, unusually, was an internal developer from within Caerphilly Council's own department, at a time where most civic developments in the UK are designed by private practices.[5]

The redevelopment of Blackwood Bus Station was judged by Caerphilly Council as successful, helping to end the anti social behaviour associated with the previous concrete structure station,[3] and it has encouraged the subsequent development of the town in the form of new retail units on its periphery and the new Sirhowy Enterprise Way area.[6]

Awards

The 2007 redevelopment won a number of awards nationally, including:[5]

• Welsh Local Government Association Building of the Year 2007 (at the time named the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales)[3]
• RICS Wales Regeneration Award 2008
• ICE Wales Roy Edwards Award 2008

Layout

The bus station is a glass façade terminal building including café, waiting area, canteen, offices and welfare facilities.

The stand doors provide access to buses, which park next to the gate on arrival, and then reverse out on departure. It is fully covered from the weather.[2]

The station offers a café, named The Plaza, and used to offer public toilet facilities within the station building.[7] The toilet facilities closed in April 2019 due to the increasing financial difficulties faced by Caerphilly Council.[8] Caerphilly Town Centre public toilets re-opened in July 2019 but the fate of facilities in Blackwood remain uncertain.[9] A proposed development, Blackwood Artisan Markets, and the accompanying apartment project, have offered to provide alternative toilets.[10]

Destinations

Blackwood lies as a stop on the Tredegar to Newport route, as well as offering a number of other destinations which begin in the town. These include Pontypridd, New Tredegar, Abertillery, Cardiff, and Ystrad Mynach with transfer for the railway station.

List of destinations[11]

Operator	Number	Service begins at	Stand	Service destination	Journey time	Frequency
Stagecoach in South Wales	5	Blackwood	8	Pantside	33 minutes	Every 30 minutes
Caerphilly County Borough Council (connect2)	5A	Blackwood	8	Oakdale - circular	22 minutes	3 trips a day on Tuesdays & Fridays only
Harris Coaches	6	Blackwood	1	Wyllie	13 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Harris Coaches	7	Blackwood	5	Pontypridd	55 minutes	Every 50 to 60 minutes
Harris Coaches	8	Blackwood	4	Grove Park	17 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	9	Blackwood	1	Pontllanfraith	3 minutes	Every 20 minutes
Harris Coaches	11	Blackwood	5	Gelligaer	27 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Harris Coaches	12	Blackwood	2	New Tredegar	32 minutes	Every 20 to 30 minutes
Harris Coaches & Stagecoach in South Wales (joint)	14	Blackwood	2	Bargoed Interchange	28 minutes	Every 20 to 30 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	21	Blackwood	4	Cwmbran	54 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	27	Blackwood	3	Bargoed Interchange	28 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	52	Blackwood	8	Abertillery	41 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	56	Newport	3	Tredegar	30 minutes	Every 20 to 40 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	26 Gold	Blackwood	5	Cardiff	66 minutes	Every 30 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	151 Gold	Blackwood	6	Newport Bus Station Market Square	51 minutes	Every 10 minutes
NAT Group	901	Blackwood	4	Ystrad Mynach station	16 minutes	Every 60 to 80 minutes
NAT Group	900	Blackwood	4	Blackwood Gate Retail Park	5 minutes	Every 60 minutes
Stagecoach in South Wales	A1	Blackwood	9	ASDA Blackwood	5 minutes	Every 20 minutes
Caerphilly County Borough Council (connect2)	15	Blackwood	4	Cefn Glas	7 minutes	1 trip a day (departs Blackwood at 11:35am) on Tuesdays only
Glyn Evans & Son	13	Blackwood	3	Manmoel	15 minutes	1 trip a day (departs Blackwood at 16:00pm) on Tuesdays only

Rail transport

Blackwood railway station closed in 1965, however NAT bus 901 provides travel to nearby Ystrad Mynach railway station in 16 minutes, every hour.

Professor Mark Barry, who has consulted the Welsh Government on the South Wales Metro project, has written about the potential for Blackwood railway station to reopen as part of a tram-train system connecting other valleys towns from east to west.[12]

References

1. https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/1831082.bus-station-is-building-of-the-year/
2. "Blackwood Interchange Project". Encon Construction. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
3. "Bus station is building of the year". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
4. WalesOnline (27 July 2005). "Traders fears over bus station development". walesonline. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
5. "Blackwood Bus Station - Caerphilly Building". e-architect. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
6. "LDP 2021 Development Of Alternative Strategic Options" (PDF). Caerphilly County Borough. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
7. "Cafe owner's dismay over decision to close public toilets". Caerphilly Observer. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
8. "'Dismayed' residents fight to save toilets". 21 March 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
9. "Toilets now reopened thanks to taxi drivers". Caerphilly Observer. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
10. "Blackwood artisan market approved by planning committee". Caerphilly Observer. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
11. "Blackwood Interchange (Stand 1) – Bus Times". bustimes.org. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
12. "Making the metro really work for the valleys and Cardiff". Click on Wales. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2019.