Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
In time the Canal became overwhelmed by the volume of traffic, and encouraged by the successful opening of railways with more advanced technology than the horse tramways of previous years, the Taff Vale Railway was promoted. It was authorised by Parliament in 1836 and it opened between Merthyr and Cardiff docks in 1841. The line passed close to the Maesmawr workings but did not make a connection.
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway had been the first railway to serve the valleys of South Wales, at first to chiefly handle the iron products of Merthyr, but soon to bring the coal output of the area served to the docks of Cardiff. As the coal production of the region grew so greatly, it was inevitable that competing companies would enter.