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General information | |
Location | Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire Wales |
Coordinates | 51°42′54″N5°02′28″W / 51.715°N 5.041°W Coordinates: 51°42′54″N5°02′28″W / 51.715°N 5.041°W |
Grid reference | SM900062 |
Managed by | Transport for Wales |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | MFH |
Classification | DfT category F1 |
History | |
Opened | 7 September 1863 |
Key dates | |
7 September 1863 | Opened as Milford |
1902 | Renamed Old Milford |
1910 | Renamed Milford Haven |
Passengers | |
2017/18 | ![]() |
2018/19 | ![]() |
2019/20 | ![]() |
2020/21 | ![]() |
2021/22 | ![]() |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Milford Haven railway station serves the town of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire,Wales. Opened on 7 September 1863,it was originally known as Milford,becoming Old Milford by January 1902,and finally being renamed Milford Haven by April 1910. [1] It is the westernmost railway station in Wales,but not in Great Britain as some stations in England and Scotland are further west.
The first links to a railway to Milford Haven came through the completion of the South Wales Railway in 1856. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had a vision of connecting London to New York City via a railway through Wales and then to a commuter port. The initial plan was to terminate the line at Fishguard and to create a ferry service to Ireland. The failure to complete Irish rail links meant that the terminus was modified to a location on the Milford Haven waterway. 1854 saw track reach Haverfordwest,at which point a decision had to be made as to the terminus. New Milford at Neyland was selected,in spite of opposition from Greville,and was completed in April 1856. [2] As a result,Greville determined to finance a project himself which would see the railway come to Milford Haven under the Milford Junction Railway,a four-mile spur from Johnston. Construction began in August 1856 and lasted five years,finally completed in 1863, [3] when the line was connected to the South Wales Railway at Johnston,and a station at Milford was opened. [2] The line was,and remains,single track,but sufficient room was allowed in cuttings and under bridges for doubling the track if required. [4] The opportunity to provide a rival to the South Wales Railway by using Milford as a terminus to the Manchester and Milford Railway was also explored at this time. [2]
Excavation work was necessary to provide an embankment upon which the approaching track could be laid skirting the shoreline of Hubberston Pill. Public services commenced 7 September 1863. Further track was laid towards the recently constructed docks complex in 1875. A spur to Newton Noyes,known as the 'Estate Line',was completed in 1882. It connected with a pier,which was reached via a lifting bridge at Castle Pill;the junction with the Milford line opposite the station. [5] [6] This development highlighted Milford station's less than favorable location,although equidistant between the two major populations of Milford and Hakin,it was at a distance from the quayside and with no discernible pedestrian access. To rectify the issue,the short-lived Hakin Dock Station was constructed in 1898. [5]
The original station was modest,with four sidings and a single platform,plus additional run around facilities sandwiched between the hillside and Hubberston Pill. [7] Initial services comprised a local service running back and forth between Milford and Johnston,where passengers could connect with Great Western services from New Milford. [5] By 1871,services had grown to seven daily in each direction,many connecting with passenger services from New Milford at Johnston. [5] The trains using the line were operated by Great Western Railway who had part funded the original railway. [8] It initially rented use of the line,although in 1896 absorbed The Milford Railway Company. [9] In the 1930s many improvements were made,including narrowing the course of the Pill,extra side loops and goods yards. By 1923 the Milford Station Master was re-graded as a special class post,supported by twelve booking clerks and up to ten porters. [7]
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Up until 1947, three daily 'vacuum fish' express services transported fish from the Haven to various destinations in the UK, including London Paddington, Yeovil and the north of England. [9] Fish vans were often attached to passenger trains. [10] Goods traffic remained dominant over passenger traffic until the commercial decline of the docks in the late twentieth century. [11] Into the twentieth century, direct services to London Paddington were in operation, and a sleeper service remained in place until the 1960s. [5] The sidings were reduced substantially in 1968, although goods traffic continued until the 1980s. [10] InterCity 125 services from London Paddington to Milford ran until the early 1990s, terminating in 1994. [5] [12] Sealink operated a service to Dún Laoghaire briefly between 1978 and 1979 from Milford. [10] A scheme to expand the freight capability at Milford Haven is under development, based on a new import facility for biomass and wood pellets for the energy market in England and Wales. [13] In September 2019, MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire Stephen Crabb called on politicians and Network Rail to upgrade Milford station, citing a lack of suitable facilities. [14]
The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Transport for Wales. The usual service pattern is one train every two hours to Manchester Piccadilly via Carmarthen, Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff Central, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Stockport. [15] Certain non-peak hour services terminate in Carmarthen.
In 2008, the Wales Route Utilisation Strategy identified the requirement for an hourly frequency on the core route into west Wales between Swansea and Milford Haven. [16]
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Johnston | Transport for Wales West Wales line | Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Johnston Line and station open | Great Western Railway Milford Railway | Hakin Docks Line and station closed | ||
Johnston Line and station open | Great Western Railway Milford Railway | Newton Noyes Line and station closed |
Until July 1994, British Rail ran a daily train from London Paddington through to Milford Haven via Reading, Bristol Parkway, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Whitland and Haverfordwest, usually operated by an InterCity 125.[ citation needed ] Under the Wales & West franchise services were also more widespread than today. A daily service operated between Milford and London Waterloo via Whitland, Swansea, Cardiff Central, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Basingstoke and Clapham Junction. Services also ran regularly to Liverpool Lime Street, and several trains per week ran to Plymouth and Penzance via Swansea, Cardiff Central, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth, Truro and St Erth. Before September 2002 it was also not uncommon to see Virgin CrossCountry trains operating from Milford Haven to stations in the north and Scotland, usually Edinburgh and Glasgow via Swansea, Cardiff Central, Bristol Parkway, Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham New Street, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, Glasgow bound trains continued via Haymarket and Motherwell. Occasionally services ran from Milford Haven as far north as Aberdeen on the same route as the Edinburgh bound train, then continuing via Haymarket, Inverkeithing, Perth, Dundee, Arbroath and Montrose. These services were usually operated by an InterCity 125 set.[ citation needed ]
Waiting facilities include a covered shelter, as the original station building has been demolished. A free carpark is located opposite the platform, with capacity for 15 vehicles. An independent ticket office operates from a site on the station. The station is staffed on a part-time basis. [17] Train running details are offered via timetable posters, a customer help point and digital information screens. Step-free access is available from the main entrance and car park to the platform.
A commemorative stone and plaque was unveiled in September 2013 on the site of the former station building to mark the 150th anniversary. [18]
Milford Haven is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 by Sir William Hamilton, who designed a grid pattern. It was originally intended to be a whaling centre, though by 1800 it was developing as a Royal Navy dockyard which it remained until the dockyard was transferred to Pembroke in 1814. It then became a commercial dock, with the focus moving in the 1960s, after the construction of an oil refinery built by Esso, to logistics for fuel oil and liquid gas. By 2010, the town's port had become the fourth largest in the United Kingdom in terms of tonnage, and continues its important role in the United Kingdom's energy sector with several oil refineries and one of the biggest LNG terminals in the world.
Bridgend railway station is a main line station serving the town of Bridgend, south Wales. It is located approximately halfway between Cardiff Central and Swansea stations, at the point where the Maesteg Line diverges from the South Wales Main Line; it is also the western terminus of the Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cardiff. It is 165 miles (266 km) measured from London Paddington.
Swansea railway station serves the city of Swansea, Wales. It is 186 miles 7 chains (299 km) measured from London Paddington on the National Rail network.
The West Wales lines are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The main part runs from Swansea to Carmarthen and Whitland, where it becomes three branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
Fishguard Harbour railway station serves the port of Fishguard Harbour, Wales. It is the terminus of one of the branches of the West Wales Line from Swansea. The area is also now served by Fishguard and Goodwick railway station.
Whitland railway station serves the town of Whitland in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the West Wales Line from Swansea. To the west of the station, a branch line diverges towards Pembroke; the main line continues to Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour. The Whitland and Cardigan Railway diverged from the Fishguard/Milford Haven line 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Whitland.
Port Talbot Parkway railway station is a railway station in Port Talbot, Wales. The station is located at street level near Station Road in Port Talbot town centre.
Pembrey and Burry Port railway station is a railway station on the West Wales line serving Pembrey and Burry Port, in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is adjacent to Burry Port's main shopping area. Pembrey is situated 1.2 miles (2 km) to the west.
Carmarthen railway station is on is on the West Wales Line serving the town of Carmarthen, Wales, south of the River Towy. The station is operated by Transport for Wales. Great Western Railway also run a limited service between Carmarthen and London Paddington, usually one train each way daily with additional services on Sunday.
Saundersfoot railway station is 1 mile (1.6 km) from Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is managed by Transport for Wales Rail. It is usually a request stop apart from the limited-stop Great Western Railway Pembroke Dock services which make a scheduled stop here.
Pembroke Dock railway station serves the town of Pembroke Dock in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is the terminus of the Pembroke Dock branch of West Wales Lines from Swansea, 27+1⁄4 miles (44 km) southwest of Whitland.
Clunderwen railway station serves the village of Clynderwen in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The station is unmanned. It is a request stop.
Johnston railway station is an unstaffed railway station in the village of Johnston in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It opened in 1856 as part of the final section of the South Wales Railway main line from Haverfordwest to Neyland. It has gone by various names and is now operated by Transport for Wales Rail. Train stops are made at the station by request only.
The South Wales Railway was a main line railway which opened in stages from 1850, connecting the Great Western Railway from Gloucester to South Wales. It was constructed on the broad gauge. An original aspiration was to reach Fishguard to engender an Irish ferry transit and transatlantic trade, but the latter did not materialise for many years, and never became an important sector of the business. Neyland was the western terminus of the line until 1906.
The Pembroke and Tenby Railway was a locally promoted railway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built by local supporters and opened in 1863. The line, now known as the Pembroke Dock branch line, remains in use at the present day.
Hakin is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford Haven It had a population of 2,313 inhabitants in 2001.
Hubberston is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford Haven. It is adjacent to the village of Hakin. It had a population of 2,390 inhabitants in 2001. It is mainly residential in nature.
The town of Milford Haven was founded in 1793 by Sir William Hamilton, who initially invited Quaker whalers from Nantucket to live in his town, and then, in 1797, the Navy Board to create a dockyard for building warships.
Hakin Dock railway station was a railway station in the town of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Located within the commercial docks at Hakin, it was constructed to service an anticipated transatlantic trade between Milford Haven and New York City. It was the terminus of the Milford Junction Railway, itself a branch of the South Wales Railway. Opened in 1888, it was short lived and was no longer operating as a station for passengers by the early 20th century.
The Great Western Railway was a railway company that was dominant in West Wales, in the United Kingdom.
Media related to Milford Haven railway station at Wikimedia Commons