Aberystwyth railway station
Aberystwyth  | |
|---|---|
|
Terminus at Aberystwyth Station | |
| Location | |
| Place | Aberystwyth |
| Local authority | Ceredigion |
| Coordinates | 52°24′50″N 4°04′54″W / 52.4139°N 4.08157°WCoordinates: 52°24′50″N 4°04′54″W / 52.4139°N 4.08157°W |
| Grid reference | SN585815 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | AYW |
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Number of platforms |
1 (standard gauge) 1 (narrow gauge) |
| DfT category | D |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 0.326 million |
| 2012/13 |
 0.323 million |
| 2013/14 |
0.307 million |
| 2014/15 |
0.304 million |
| 2015/16 |
0.322 million |
| History | |
| Original company | Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Cambrian Railways / Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| 23 June 1864 | Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway station opens[1] |
| 19 July 1867 | Manchester and Milford Railway station opens; later amalgamates with A&WC station[1] |
| 22 December 1902 | Vale of Rheidol Aberystwyth Smithfield station opens[2] |
| 31 July 1925 | Great Western Railway (Vale of Rheidol) station opens adjacent to standard gauge station replacing Aberystwyth Smithfield[1][2] |
| 31 August 1939 | Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station closes (World War 2) |
| 23 July 1945 | Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station reopens |
| 1964 | Carmarthen Line services cease |
| 17 April 1968 | Vale of Rheidol Railway services start from combined station using the Carmarthen Line platforms - Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station closes |
| Listed status | |
| Listing grade | Grade II listed (since 24 November 1987) |
| Entry number | 9930 |
| Added to list | 12 July 1981 |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Aberystwyth from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Aberystwyth railway station is a railway station in the seaside and university town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It is served by passenger trains operated by Arriva Trains Wales: it is the terminus of the Cambrian Line 81 1⁄2 miles (131.2 km) west of Shrewsbury. It is also the terminus of the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
History
The original station was built in the 1860s by the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway for trains on the now-closed route from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth via Lampeter, and the route to Machynlleth which remains today. The station was greatly extended in 1925 by the Great Western Railway: the original station building on one side of the platforms was replaced by a grand terminus building.
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At that time the station had five platforms: Platform 1 at the south-east end of the station and two island platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 were essentially bay platforms, each of the same length (and shorter than the other three). They were used for the Carmarthen services (though Platform 2 was occasionally used for main-line trains). The Carmarthen line was closed in 1965. The former Platform 3 is on the other side of Platform 2; it is the only platform still in use for mainline rail, and has been redesignated as Platform 1 in recent years. The former Platform 4 (closed in 1982, track removed) is now taken up by the "Craft" freecycling shop. At that time the signal box was also closed. Access to the station and the station facilities is now primarily via the original 1864 building. The running-around line between these two, for locomotive-hauled trains, still exists. Platform 5 (closed in the 1960s) was an emergency platform on the other side of Platform 4, but little trace remains. This area is now an oil storage area and the marshalling yard has become the Rheidol Retail Park.
With the decline of railway usage and of local tourism, the facilities were far too large for their purpose. The railway yard was lifted in the 1980s and the row of shops in front, known as Western Parade, was demolished in the 1990s to allow construction of a new retail park and bus station. The 1925 station building has seen several uses, including as a local museum, but was eventually sold off and converted into a Wetherspoons pub. This conversion maintained the architecture and won awards. Other parts of the building have become an Indian restaurant, office space and accommodation for a local furniture recycling scheme.
Vale of Rheidol Railway
The platform that was originally used by trains via Lampeter to Carmarthen is now used by the narrow gauge steam-operated Vale of Rheidol Railway. This railway's track runs parallel to and immediately to the south of the main line as far as Llanbadarn Fawr. Opened in 1902, it originally had its own terminus at "Aberystwyth Smithfield" (named after Smithfield Road, now Park Avenue). This closed in 1925 and was replaced by a station a short distance from the main railway station; that station site is now a supermarket car park. In 1968 its track was rerouted into the former standard gauge bay Platforms 1 and 2 of the main station. As their trains unload at ground level, a new ramp and island platform has been built in the space between the two original platforms. There is a runaround loop and access to the former mainline railway shed. This is now used as the storage and works area for the Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Today
As of 2006, the station has a single mainline platform for trains to Machynlleth and beyond, with a loop that is used to reverse locomotive-hauled specials, including steam services and maintenance trains.
There are proposals to establish a railway museum at the station, using structures removed from London Bridge station during modernisation.[3]
Facilities
The station has a staffed ticket office, open six days per week (Mondays to Saturdays 07:10 - 17:40). A self-service ticket machine is also provided for use outside these times and for collecting pre-paid tickets. Other amenities include toilets, a coffee shop, restaurant, waiting room and a customer help point. Train running information is also offered via digital information screens, automatic announcements and timetable posters. Step-free access is available between the entrance, concourse and platform.[4]
Services
Arriva Trains Wales services operate to Shrewsbury and Birmingham International approximately every two hours.[5] As of the May 2015 timetable change, (almost) hourly services have commenced between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, some of which continue to Birmingham International .[6]
There were proposals for reinstating a direct train to London which stopped running in 1991. The journey would have taken four hours,[7] but the plan was rejected in 2010.[8]
Trains currently call at Borth, Dovey Junction, Machynlleth, Caersws, Newtown, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.[9]
Departures
The current service pattern (Mondays to Saturdays) is
- 16 trains per day to Machynlleth
- 12 of which continue to Shrewsbury
- 8 of which continue to Birmingham New Street
- 7 of which continue to Birmingham International
- 8 of which continue to Birmingham New Street
- 12 of which continue to Shrewsbury
The current service pattern (Sundays) is
- 12 trains per day to Machynlleth
- 8 of which continue to Shrewsbury
- 6 of which continue to Birmingham International
- 8 of which continue to Shrewsbury
Arrivals
On Mondays-Saturdays, the station sees 16 arriving services (4 start at Machynlleth, 4 at Shrewsbury, 1 at Birmingham New Street, and 7 at Birmingham International).
On Sundays, the station sees 12 arriving services (3 start at Machynlleth, 3 at Shrewsbury, and 6 at Birmingham International).
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arriva Trains Wales Birmingham International-Aberystwyth | Terminus | |||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Bow Street | Cambrian Railways (GWR) Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway |
Terminus | ||
| Llanrhystyd Road | Great Western Railway Manchester and Milford Railway |
Terminus | ||
 Heritage railways |
||||
| Terminus | Vale of Rheidol Railway | Llanbadarn | ||
Motive power depot
A small engine shed was opened close to the station in 1864, and extended in 1867.[10] This was demolished by the Great Western Railway in 1938 to make way for a larger brick built structure, which is still standing.
Following withdrawal of all steam worked standard gauge services in 1968 Aberystwyth Motive Power Depot was notable as being the last steam locomotive depot on the British Rail network when it remained to operate the Vale of Rheidol line, which was steam operated until privatisation in 1989. Accordingly, it was an often requested posting for staff.
Construction work started on a new steel framed locomotive depot in June 2010, due for completion in late 2011. The building will include a machine shop, restoration workshop and locomotive running shed. The existing former Great Western Railway shed will then be used to house the carriage fleet.[11]
References
Notes
- 1 2 3 Butt 1995, p. 12
- 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 13
- ↑ "London Bridge station roof set for Aberystwyth museum". BBC. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ Aberystwyth staion facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 6 April 2017
- ↑ http://www.aberystwyth.org.uk/transport/railway.shtml
- ↑ Table 76 National Rail timetable, May 2016
- ↑ "ATW announces plans for direct Aberystwyth - London Marylebone".
- ↑ "Aberystwyth-London route rejected". BBC News. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ↑ "Arriva Trains Wales' new timetable responds to passenger demand". Arriva Trains. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ↑ Roger Griffiths and Paul Smith, Directory of British Engine Sheds, I., Oxford Publishing (1999), p.187.
- ↑ Vale of Rheidol Railway - New "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
Sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aberystwyth railway station. |
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
- Station on navigable O.S. map