Sugar Loaf railway station

Last updated

The station sees very few passengers; in 2010/2011 an estimated 84 passengers used the station and in 2014 it was reported that the station was averaging five passengers per month. [2] In 2017/2018, it increased its passenger usage by nearly 710% from the previous year, taking it to as many visitors in the year as the previous 17 years combined. Its low usage seemed to make it a popular attraction. [3] In 2020, with rail passenger numbers in general affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the station saw 156 passengers, followed by zero the following year. [4] Between 6 July 2020 and 21 August 2021, trains did not call at the station due to the short platform and the inability to maintain social distancing between passengers and the guard when opening the train door. [5]

This station is a request stop used mainly by trekkers and cyclists, since it is the nearest stop to the Sugar Loaf vantage point, [6] [7] although it was originally built to serve a number of cottages occupied by railway workers (such as signalmen and track gangers). [8] The children of the workers travelled by train to school in Llanwrtyd Wells. [7] South of the station the line reaches the summit at 820 feet (250 m) above sea level and then passes beneath the hills via the 1,001-yard (915 m) Sugar Loaf tunnel, which is approached by gradients as steep as 1 in 60. It then descends steadily for the next 8+1⁄2 miles (13.7 km) down to Llandovery. The climb up to the summit here was a challenging one for train crews in steam days (especially northbound) and the use of banking locomotives was commonplace.

Facilities

The station has basic amenities only - a waiting shelter and timetable poster boards - although it has had a digital CIS display fitted. There is no step-free access available, due to the station entrance being some distance from the nearest road (the A483) along a narrow path and in a cutting. [9]

Services

All trains serving the station are operated by Transport for Wales. There are five trains a day in each direction (towards Swansea and Shrewsbury) from Monday to Saturday, and two services on Sundays. [10] Being a request stop, passengers have to give a hand signal to the approaching train driver to board or notify the guard when they board that they wish to alight from the train there.

Sugar Loaf

Welsh: Dinas y Bwlch
National Rail logo.svg
Sugar Loaf railway station in southern Powys (geograph 5368007).jpg
Sugar Loaf station in April 2017
General information
LocationSugar Loaf Mountain, Llandovery, Powys
Wales
Coordinates 52°04′55″N3°41′13″W / 52.082°N 3.687°W / 52.082; -3.687
Grid reference SN844438
Managed by Transport for Wales
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeSUG
Classification DfT category F2
Key dates
1868Opened
1965Closed
1984Reopened
6 July 2020Temporarily closed
21 August 2021Reopened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease2.svg 708
Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
Cynghordy   Transport for Wales
Heart of Wales Line 		  Llanwrtyd

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart of Wales line</span> Railway line in southwest Wales

The Heart of Wales line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llangammarch Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells. At Builth Road, two miles (3.3 km) from the town of Builth Wells, the line crosses the former route of the earlier Mid Wales Railway, which closed in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craven Arms railway station</span> Railway station in Shropshire, England

Craven Arms railway station serves the town of Craven Arms in Shropshire, England. Until 1974 it was known as "Craven Arms and Stokesay", named after the nearby coaching inn and the historic settlement of Stokesay to the south. It is situated at the junction of the Welsh Marches Line and the Heart of Wales Line, 20 miles (32 km) south of Shrewsbury. All passenger trains calling at the station are operated by Transport for Wales, who also manage it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Builth Road railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Builth Road railway station is a station primarily serving the town of Builth Wells, in mid Wales. It is on the Heart of Wales Line. The station is over two miles northwest of Builth Wells via the A470, a busy trunk road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cilmeri railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Cilmeri railway station is a railway station serving the village of Cilmeri, in Powys, mid Wales. It is situated on the Heart of Wales Line 59+1⁄2 miles (95.8 km) southwest of Shrewsbury and was opened in 1867. The station is located in a rural setting just to the south of the A483.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolau railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Dolau railway station is an unstaffed railway station with one platform serving the small village of Dolau in Powys, mid Wales. It is located on the Heart of Wales Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llandrindod railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Llandrindod railway station, 51+3⁄4 miles (83.3 km) south-west of Shrewsbury, serves the town of Llandrindod Wells in Mid Wales. The single-track Heart of Wales Line is served by five Transport for Wales trains each way on Mondays to Saturdays, two each way on Sundays. The passing line for northbound and southbound trains is used daily. It is the busiest station on the line itself, despite the small number of trains. This causes overcrowding on some trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bynea railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Bynea railway station serves the village of Bynea near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Bynea station is situated close to the Millennium Coastal Park and is a convenient stop for cyclists and hikers to the coastal area. It is also the last stop on the Heart of Wales route before it joins the West Wales Line at Llandeilo Junction, to the east of Llanelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontarddulais railway station</span> Railway station in Swansea, Wales

Pontarddulais railway station serves the town of Pontarddulais and village of Hendy in Swansea, Wales. The station is located at street level not far from the town centre and the Loughor estuary. All trains serving the station are operated by Transport for Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammanford railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Ammanford railway station in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, is 12 miles (19 km) north of Swansea on the Heart of Wales Line. The station opened in 1841 as a temporary terminus of the Llanelly Railway's line to Llandeilo, making it one of the country's earlier railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ffairfach railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Ffairfach railway station serves the village of Ffairfach, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line 30 miles (48 km) north east of Swansea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llandeilo railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Llandeilo railway station serves the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. The station is 30+3⁄4 miles (49 km) north east of Swansea on the Heart of Wales Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangadog railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Llangadog railway station serves the village of Llangadog near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line 36+1⁄2 miles (59 km) north east of Swansea. The station is located at street level at Station Road beside the River Brân. The Garn Goch Iron Age hill fort is about three miles away from this station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llandovery railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Llandovery railway station serves the market town of Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line 42 miles (68 km) north east of Swansea and is located at Tywi Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynghordy railway station</span> Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Cynghordy railway station serves the rural community of Cynghordy near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line 46+3⁄4 miles (75 km) north east of Swansea and is located at street level at the end of a gravel track off a lane that is just off the main A483 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangynllo railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Llangynllo railway station is a countryside stop in Powys about 5 miles west of Knighton, on the Heart of Wales Line. The station is located 1.4 miles north of Llangunllo village, at road level beside one house and two cottages on a minor rural road off the B4356 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopton Heath railway station</span> Railway station in Shropshire, England

Hopton Heath railway station in Hopton Heath, Shropshire, England, lies on the Heart of Wales Line, 25+1⁄2 miles (41.0 km) south west of Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolgarrog railway station</span> Railway station in Conwy, Wales

Dolgarrog railway station is an unstaffed halt, and a request stop, on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reddish South railway station</span> Railway station in Reddish, England

Reddish South railway station is a stop on the Stockport–Stalybridge Line in Reddish, Stockport, England. The station, used by only 26 passengers in 2013/14, is one of the quietest on the UK rail network. From May 1992 until May 2018, it was served by parliamentary services in order to avoid formal proceeding to close the line. Despite the low passenger numbers, the line itself is used regularly for freight traffic and empty stock transfers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beasdale railway station</span> Railway station serving Glen Beasdale in the Highland region of Scotland

Beasdale railway station is a railway station serving Glen Beasdale in the Highland region of Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line, sited 28 miles 49 chains (46.0 km) from the former Banavie Junction, between Lochailort and Arisaig. ScotRail manage the station and operate all services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawarden railway station</span> Railway station on the Borderlands Line in Flintshire, Wales

Hawarden railway station serves the village of Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the Borderlands Line 10½ miles (17 km) north of Wrexham Central and all passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales. The station is unstaffed.

References

  1. ↑ Sugar Loaf (Map). 1:25,000. OS Explorer. Cartography by Ordnance Survey. Streetmap.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Britain's forgotten railway stations". The Daily Telegraph . 25 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Shuttleworth, Peter (11 December 2018). "Why Wales' quietest station, Sugar Loaf, got busier". BBC Wales News.
  4. ↑ "Railway: Why one remote station lost 90% of its passengers". BBC News. 5 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Covid-19 timetable from 29 March 2021 | Transport for Wales".
  6. ↑ "Sugar Loaf". Heart of Wales Line. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Sugar Loaf Halt is Wales' quietest station, Arriva says". BBC. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Heart of Wales Travel Guide Doughty, Audrey, Llandeilo Past & Present; Retrieved 6 July 2016
  9. ↑ Sugar Loaf station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 28 January 2017
  10. ↑ Table 130 National Rail timetable, May 2023

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sugar Loaf railway station at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.