Bristol and South Wales Union Railway

The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was authorized by an act of Parliament in 1857 to connect Bristol with the South Wales Railway at Monmouth, initially crossing the River Severn by ferry at New Passage and cutting the distance between Bristol and Cardiff from 94 miles to 38. It operated independently until 1868, when it was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, which had run its trains from the start. The Severn Tunnel replaced the ferry crossing in 1886, and parts of the original route remain in use today on the Cross Country Route and the South Wales Main Line.