General information | |||||
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Location | Pwllheli, Gwynedd Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 52°53′17″N4°25′01″W / 52.888°N 4.417°W | ||||
Grid reference | SH375350 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 1 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PWL | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Cambrian Railways | ||||
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
10 October 1867 | Opened | ||||
19 July 1909 | Moved to current site | ||||
12 September 1977 | Signal boxes and 1 of 2 platforms closed | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 76,236 | ||||
2019/20 | 65,464 | ||||
2020/21 | 9,184 | ||||
2021/22 | 45,208 | ||||
2022/23 | 73,332 | ||||
Listed Building –Grade II | |||||
Feature | Pwllheli railway station | ||||
Designated | 28 July 1989 | ||||
Reference no. | 4589 [1] | ||||
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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.
In 1861 the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was given authorisation to build a line along Cardigan Bay between Aberystwyth and Porthdinllaen on the Llŷn Peninsula. However,the final five miles across the Llŷn Peninsula were never built. By 1865 the company had merged to become part of Cambrian Railways. When the first Pwllheli station opened on Thursday 10 October 1867 [2] the decision to not complete the final five miles to Nefyn had already been taken. The station,which was about a half a mile from the town,became the line's terminus.
On 19 July 1909 [3] a second station was opened near by the town centre following land reclamation that permitted the extension of the line. It had two tracks separated by an island platform with a small loading dock to the north. [4] The layout remained unchanged until rationalisation began in September 1977.
A goods yard was developed on the site of the first station. Its turntable is now in the possession of the West Somerset Railway. The Great Western Railway (GWR) doubled the track between Pwllheli station and the goods yard in order to increase capacity. But after the goods yard was closed and both the signal boxes and the signals were removed in 1977,the double-lined section is now used as a long run-round loop for visiting charter trains. By 1987 a supermarket had been developed on the former goods yard land.
Prior to the closure of the Afon Wen to Caernarfon Line in 1964,there were two named daily express services during the summer between Pwllheli and London:
In 1977 one side of the island platform was abandoned and the track was lifted (the land is now a car park). The station canopy,which was constructed by the GWR,survived intact until some glass fell out in late 1979,and it was shortened early in 1980. Today only the concourse and a short section of the platform remain covered. Pwllheli has one platform,a siding and a loop. [5] One of the old signal boxes also remains and is used as a covered ground frame to operate the loop points.
The station is now unstaffed and has no ticket machine,so all tickets must be purchased on the train or prior to travel. The main building still stands - part of it is used as a cafe and coffee shop whilst the remainder provides covered waiting accommodation. Train running information is offered by means of digital display screens,automated announcements,timetable poster boards and a customer help point. Step-free access is provided from the main entrance to the platform. [6]
All services are operated by Transport for Wales. Trains run between Pwllheli and Machynlleth roughly every two hours on weekdays (Mon-Sat),with 5 trains in each direction on Sundays. [7] From 1 September to 1 December 2023 engineering work took place to finish restoration of the Barmouth Viaduct.
In November 2013,services from the station were suspended due to structural problems with the 1867 Grade II-listed wooden viaduct at Pont Briwet near Llandecwyn. Network Rail had intended to build the new bridge alongside the current one whilst keeping the latter open,but work to drive steel piles into the riverbed to support the new viaduct caused the old one to shift and made it unsafe. As a result,the train service north of Harlech had to be temporarily withdrawn whilst construction work continued and did not resume until the new bridge was ready. [8] Meanwhile,a replacement bus service ran over the 22 mile (35 km) section to Harlech. The line eventually reopened on 1 September 2014 when construction work on the rail portion of the new bridge was completed. [9]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | Transport for Wales Cambrian Coast Line | Abererch | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Terminus | Cambrian Railways Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway | Abererch Line and station open |
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.
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.
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station is a railway station serving the small town of Penrhyndeudraeth on the Dwyryd Estuary in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a station on the Cambrian Coast Railway with services between Shrewsbury and Pwllheli via Machynlleth.
Llandecwyn railway station serves the rural area around Llandecwyn on the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd in Gwynedd, Wales.
Talsarnau railway station serves the village of Talsarnau on the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd in Gwynedd, Wales.
Tygwyn railway station is located at a level crossing on the A496 between Harlech and Talsarnau near the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd in Gwynedd, Wales.
Harlech railway station is located at a level crossing on the A496 in the centre of the town of Harlech in Gwynedd, North Wales. The waiting shelters were installed to cater for the high numbers of schoolchildren commuting to and from the adjacent secondary school, Ysgol Ardudwy.
Porthmadog railway station serves the town of Porthmadog on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham.
Criccieth railway station serves the seaside town of Criccieth on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.
Penychain railway station, commonly known by its former name, Butlins Penychain railway station, is located by an over bridge at Pen-ychain on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. For many years the station served the large Butlins Holiday Camp at Penychain.
Abererch railway station is located at a level crossing on the minor road from the beach to the village of Abererch on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.
Llandanwg railway station is in the village of Llandanwg in Gwynedd, Wales. It is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with direct passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog and Pwllheli to the north and west, and Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham to the south and east.
Dyffryn Ardudwy railway station serves the villages of Dyffryn Ardudwy, Coed Ystumgwern and Llanenddwyn in Gwynedd, Wales.
Llanaber railway station serves the village of Llanaber near Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Most trains call only on request.
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.
Morfa Mawddach railway station is an unstaffed station located on the outskirts of the village of Arthog in Gwynedd, Wales, on the Cambrian Coast line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli. Built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway in 1865, it was formerly the junction station for the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. Since the closure of the Ruabon to Barmouth line in 1965, it remains open, as a minor station on the Cambrian Line.
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.
Afon Wen was a railway station in Afon Wen, Gwynedd, Wales, four miles (6 km) west of Criccieth.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company, running a line along the west coast of Wales.