in 1957, faced with the costs of working the line and the future costs associated with its continued maintenance and repairs to the ageing track and infrastructure after a century of use, british railways, which had received the lms's assets upon nationalisation, announced that it would be withdrawing passenger services. it claimed that the proposal would bring in a cost saving of £60,000 per annum. this was even though track renewal had recently taken place west of abergavenny and that the clydach and abergavenny sections had won "best track length" awards in the 1950s, while govilon received an award for its outstanding station gardens.