| Porthmadog Harbour | |
|---|---|
| Porthmadog Harbour railway station | |
| Location | |
| Place | Porthmadog |
| Area | Gwynedd |
| Grid reference | SH571384 |
| Operations | |
| Managed by | Ffestiniog Railway |
| Owned by | Festiniog Railway Company |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 6 January 1865 | Station opened |
| 1923 | Welsh Highland Railway services commence |
| 1936 | Welsh Highland Railway services cease |
| 15 September 1939 | Closed for passengers |
| 23 July 1955 | Reopened for passengers |
| 19 February 2011 | Reopened to Welsh Highland Railway services |
| Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
Porthmadog Harbour station in North Wales is the southern passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways: the Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea, and the Welsh Highland Railway, built in 1923, which runs to Caernarfon.
Contents |
The station is built at the western end of the Cob, the great embankment across the Traeth Mawr, on a peninsula from Ynys Madoc constructed in 1842 to form a slate wharf and a harbour wall. It was opened for passenger service on 6 January 1865. Welsh Highland Railway trains served the station from 1923, but these ceased running in 1936. The station was closed to passengers on 15 September 1939, although the slate trains continued operating through the Second World War until 1946. The buildings continued in use as the principal offices of the Festiniog Railway Company and the home of the Manager (Mr Robert Evans) including throughout the years of almost total closure from 1 August 1946 to 24 September 1954. The station reopened for passengers on 23 July 1955. Welsh Highland Railway services were restored in 2011.
The present stone buildings, replacing earlier wooden buildings dismantled and reused elsewhere on the railway, date from 1878/79 and the goods shed was added in 1880. They were linked to the former goods shed by way of a major extension in 1975. Passenger facilities include a booking and enquiry office, a large tourist and hobby shop and a large cafeteria with licensed bar. The erection of the platform awning was completed in 1988.
The harbour station is the operational headquarters of both the Ffestiniog and the Welsh Highland Railways.
With the resumption of services in 1955, all traffic on the line has been controlled from an office in Harbour station, known simply as "Control". With the exception of some early morning and late night movements by works trains, this office is manned constantly when passenger-carrying services are in operation. Its remit was expanded in 1997 with the commencement of public services on the Welsh Highland Railway between Caernarfon and Dinas and its subsequent expansion south towards Porthmadog. Additionally, for 2007 and 2008, when a connection was in use with the WHR(P), there was a requirement to coordinate with its operations on the new main line.
The station is also the terminus of the Welsh Highland Railway, which is owned by the Festiniog Railway Company. This line runs trains, via the cross town link through Porthmadog, to Beddgelert, Rhyd Ddu, Waunfawr, Dinas and Caernarfon. It was closed to passenger traffic in 1936, but has been entirely rebuilt, with regular passenger services resuming in 2011.
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| Preceding station | Heritage railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Ffestiniog Railway | Boston Lodge Halt | ||
| Pont Croesor | Welsh Highland Railway (via Cross Town Rail Link) |
Terminus | ||
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