The Garw railway was opened in 1876 by the Great Western Railway. It ran from Blaengarw down the Garw valley to Brynmenyn where it joined the branch line from the Ogmore Valley. The railway was vital to the developing coal field, enabling coal to be taken to the docks on the south Wales coast. When the last of the Garw valley collieries finally closed in 1985, the railway followed shortly after, although it was re-opened briefly in the 1990s when the spoil heap above Pontycymer was reworked and then landscaped. In 2011 a local group, the Garw Valley Railway are working to re-open the line. Trysor 2011.