Aberystwyth railway station

Aberystwyth Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Ceredigion
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Platforms	1 (standard gauge) 1 (narrow gauge)
Other information
Station code	AYW
History
Original company	Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways / Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
23 June 1864	Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway station opens
19 July 1867	Manchester and Milford Railway station opens; later amalgamates with A&WC station
22 December 1902	Vale of Rheidol Aberystwyth Smithfield station opens
31 July 1925	Great Western Railway (Vale of Rheidol) station opens adjacent to standard gauge station replacing Aberystwyth Smithfield
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

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. 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.

The imposing GWR exterior seen in 1992

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, with the same amount of indent. They were used for the Carmarthen services (though Platform 2 was occasionally be 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.

Platform view in 1992

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.

Services

Arriva Trains Wales services operate to Shrewsbury and Birmingham International approximately every two hours. As of the May 2015 timetable change, (almost) hourly services have commenced between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, some of which continue to Birmingham International.

There were proposals for reinstating a direct train to London which stopped running in 1991. The journey would have taken four hours, but the plan was rejected in 2010.

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.

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

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

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
Borth		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

The former GWR locomotive depot

A small engine shed was opened close to the station in 1864, and extended in 1867. 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.

References

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 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. OL 11956311M.
• 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