General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Machynlleth, Powys Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 52°35′42″N3°51′18″W / 52.595°N 3.855°W | ||||
Grid reference | SH744013 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | MCN | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 1863 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 121,068 | ||||
2020/21 | 17,030 | ||||
Interchange | 1,969 | ||||
2021/22 | 75,440 | ||||
Interchange | 6,314 | ||||
2022/23 | 100,138 | ||||
Interchange | 10,738 | ||||
2023/24 | 112,636 | ||||
Interchange | 10,115 | ||||
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Machynlleth railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales,serving the town of Machynlleth. It was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway (N&MR) and subsequently passed into the ownership of the Cambrian Railways,the Great Western Railway,Western Region of British Railways and London Midland Region of British Railways. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Caersws,the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales. [1]
The Corris Railway maintained their own Machynlleth station adjacent to the mainline one,with connecting passengers services until 1931 and slate transfer facilities until 1948. [2]
The lower yard of the station contained a number of sidings that served transshipment wharves connected to the Corris Railway. The first wharf was built in 1863 and leased by the Aberllefenni and Ratgoed quarries. The rest of the quarries connected to the Corris Railway leased wharf space there over the next 15 years. [3]
The existing main line station dates from the opening of the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway in 1863. The following year,the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway opened the line as far as Aberystwyth,via Dovey Junction;in 1867,the line was extended from Barmouth to Pwllheli,via Porthmadog (then Portmadoc). In 1868,the station and lines were absorbed into the Cambrian Railways. [4] The Cambrian Railways were absorbed by the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922,as a result of the Railways Act 1921,and became part of British Railways in 1948.
In 2016,a new footbridge was completed with a lift at both ends to improve disabled access between the platforms . [5] [6] The previous bridge was donated to Cambrian Heritage Railways. [7]
The railway built a small engine shed at the station in 1863. This was later expanded by Cambrian Railways,but the extensions were demolished after 1966,when the depot ceased to be used for servicing steam locomotives. Only the original building now survives. [8]
Machynlleth is the location where the majority of eastbound or 'up' trains from Pwllheli and Aberystwyth combine to go forward as one towards Shrewsbury and Birmingham International. Similarly,most trains in the opposite direction divide here before continuing west. The service in each direction is approximately two hourly,although trains to Pwllheli are far less frequent on Sundays. The infrastructure along the line was upgraded during 2010/11,with the intention of allowing hourly trains to and from Aberystwyth. In the 2015-16 timetable,some additional Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth services operate to give an hourly interval frequency during the morning and evening peak periods. [9]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Transport for Wales Cambrian Line | ||||
Historical railways | ||||
Dovey Junction Line and station open | Cambrian Railways Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway Newtown and Machynlleth Railway | Cemmes Road Line open, station closed | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Machynlleth Town | Corris Railway | Ffridd Gate |
Cambrian Line signalling has been centrally controlled from Machynlleth since the 1980s conversion of the route from traditional signalling to a radio-controlled 'RETB' system. On 26 March 2011, the new European Rail Traffic Management System signalling system went into operational use across the Cambrian Line controlled from Machynlleth. Two days of driver familiarisation followed, with passenger operation commencing on the morning of 28 March 2011. A new control centre has been built on the down side opposite the earlier signal box which has since been demolished.
A past train operator, Arriva Trains Wales, has also developed Machynlleth into the main depot for its fleet of Class 158 trains which provide all passenger services on the Cambrian Lines. Replacing the previous Victorian-era depot and yard, Arriva's depot opened in 2007 and prominently features environmentally friendly technologies such as rainwater harvesting and a wind turbine. [10]
In 2011, The Bluebell Railway discovered a well-worn totem sign from Machynlleth during the excavating of Imberhorne Cutting as part of the northern extension to East Grinstead, which was used as a landfill site by the local council in the late 1960s. The extension was opened on 23 March 2013. The sign is now displayed in their new museum.
The station has a staffed ticket office in the main building on platform 2. This is open throughout the daytime, however when closed tickets must be bought on the train as no ticket machine is provided. Waiting room in the main building on platform 2 and waiting room and shelter on platform 1.Public toilets. Train running information is provided by customer help points, CIS displays, automated announcements and timetable posters. Step free access is provided to both platforms by means of a footbridge with a lift at both ends. [5] [6] The previous ramp up to platform 1 from street level having closed with the foundations of the new bridge being built across it.
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales.
The Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles (370 km) of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the northwest of England via the London and North Western Railway, and the Great Western Railway for connections between London and Wales. The Cambrian Railways amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The name is continued today in the route known as the Cambrian Line.
The Cambrian Line, sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between the western terminals of Pwllheli, in Gwynedd, and Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, and the eastern terminal at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. The railway line is widely regarded as scenic, as it passes through the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales, and along the coast of Cardigan Bay in Snowdonia National Park.
Dovey Junction is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in Wales. It is the junction where the line splits into the line to Aberystwyth and the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli. Passenger services are provided by Transport for Wales. There is a single island platform.
Shrewsbury railway station serves the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969.
Pwllheli railway station serves the small coastal town of Pwllheli, on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway.
The Cambrian Coast Express is an old named passenger train of the Great Western Railway (GWR), and later British Rail, running from London Paddington via Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli over the Cambrian Line.
Newtown railway station is a railway station serving Newtown, Powys, Wales.
Welshpool railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales. It was first opened in August 1860, but the current station was opened in May 1992 to allow for track re-alignment, the same day that the original closed, and is a short distance from the original. The station serves the town of Welshpool, as well as its surroundings.
Caersws railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Caersws. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Machynlleth, the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales.
Aberystwyth railway station is located in the town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales; it is served by passenger trains operated by Transport for Wales. It is the terminus of both the Cambrian Line and of the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Barmouth railway station serves the seaside town of Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Tywyn, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the Barmouth Bridge.
Tywyn railway station serves the town of Tywyn in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Line, with passenger services to Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury.
Aberdovey railway station serves the seaside resort of Aberdyfi in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every two hours calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, including Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
Telford Central railway station serves the town of Telford, Shropshire, England. It is located on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) north west of Wolverhampton and is operated by West Midlands Trains. It is situated close to the Telford Shopping Centre, the main commercial district of the town.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company, running a line along the west coast of Wales.
Carno is a closed railway station in Carno, on the Cambrian Line, that was part of the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway. The station was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching Cuts though there are proposals to re-open it.
The Oswestry and Newtown Railway was a British railway company that built a line between Oswestry in Shropshire and Newtown Montgomeryshire, now Powys. The line opened in stages in 1860 and 1861. It was conceived to open up the area to rail transport, when local opinion formed the view that the trunk railway companies would not do so. Subscription money for the construction proved very difficult to generate. It was the action of a contractor partnership, Davies and Savin, in agreeing to accept shares as the majority of their payment for construction work, that saved the company from failure.
The Newtown and Machynlleth Railway was a railway company in Wales. It built a line from a junction with the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway near Caersws to the market town of Machynlleth; the line opened in 1862. Newtown had become the hub of railway lines in the district. Machynlleth was an important town, and extension from there to Aberystwyth and to the coast northward was in the minds of the promoters.
Machynlleth was a station on the Corris Railway in Merioneth, Wales. It was opened in 1863 as a pair of wharves for the transshipment of slate onto the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway. In 1878, it was opened to passenger traffic, replacing the earlier Machynlleth Town, and was adjacent to the standard gauge station of the same name. It closed to passengers in 1931, and to all traffic in 1948.