Swansea Vale Railway nineteenth century, when land transport was limited to what pack animals could carry on their backs. At that time the extraction of copper in Cornwall became an important industry, and as a great deal of coal is required to smelt copper, it became the practice to bring the copper to Swansea by ship and smelt it there. This specific sector of the metal industry became so dominant that Swansea was given the nickname "Copperopolis". The works engaged in this industry were located on the banks of the River Tawe at first, but the construction of the Swansea Canal, opened in
Swansea Bay railway station Central Wales line, most of which is still operational as the Heart of Wales Line. Swansea Bay closed in June 1964, having been listed in the Report on the Reshaping of British Railways (better known as the Beeching Report) the previous year. The former station is near Blackpill and the Clyne Valley Country Park and was adjacent to the Swansea and Mumbles Railway which was closed in 1960. Much of the trackbed is now part of the A4607 road towards Swansea Victoria. Swansea Bay railway station Swansea Bay is a former railway station in Swansea next to Swansea Bay, in