Pontypool and New Inn railway station () is situated to the south east of Pontypool town centre between the town and the suburb of New Inn, Wales. The station was formerly called Pontypool Road until renamed just Pontypool in 1972 and then to the present name in 1994. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is managed by Transport for Wales, who operate all trains serving it. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line from Newport to Crewe. History For almost 100 years from the mid 19th century to the early 1960s, Pontypool Road was an important station and key railway junction connecting to the main line from Newport to the Midlands and north of England (via Hereford) and branch lines to Neath and Merthyr. At its height, Pontypool Road featured a 50-line marshalling yard, engine sheds, goods sheds and refuelling facilities. The growth of industry The burgeoning 18th-century iron industry in South Wales followed by the growth of coal mining industry in the 19th century required an extensive transport network. Initially canals were constructed such as the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal (opened 1812) which ran close to the southern part of Pontypool at Pontymoile. The rapid expansion of steam locomotion in the 1840s quickly saw the demise of the canals as the railways offered a faster and more economical transport system. The coming of the railways With industry in the South Wales coalfield needing improved transport links the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company (MR&CC) opened the first line between Newport to Pontypool in 1852. The line initially terminated at Crane Street Station in Pontypool and was extended to Blaenavon in 1854. The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (NA&HR) opened a new station in January 1854 just south of the current station. The stationmaster's house and part of a platform are now a private residence. This line now allowed traffic from Hereford to join the MR&CC line at Panteg & Coed-y-Gric Junction and head south towards Newport and its docks. Sponsored by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), it opened on 6 December 1853. But in 1860 it merged with other railways to form the West Midland Railway which was in turn taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1863. Although initially named 'Newport Road', the station was by the end of 1854 called 'Pontypool Road' (the addition of Road within the