General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Whitland, Carmarthenshire Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 51°49′05″N4°36′50″W / 51.818°N 4.614°W | ||||
Grid reference | SN198165 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales Rail | ||||
Platforms | 3 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | WTL | ||||
Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | South Wales Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
2 January 1854 | SWR station opened | ||||
4 September 1866 | P&T station opened | ||||
August 1869 | P&T station closed | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 45,036 | ||||
Interchange | 1,810 | ||||
2019/20 | 42,158 | ||||
Interchange | 3,318 | ||||
2020/21 | 7,876 | ||||
Interchange | 445 | ||||
2021/22 | 29,698 | ||||
Interchange | 1,610 | ||||
2022/23 | 35,350 | ||||
Interchange | 1,589 | ||||
|
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 (closed in 1962) diverged from the Fishguard/Milford Haven line 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Whitland.
Passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail,who,as of 2024,mostly use their new Class 197s,and Great Western Railway who run services using Class 800 trains on summer Saturdays from London Paddington to Pembroke Dock.
The station was opened by the South Wales Railway on 2 January 1854 [1] as part of their route from Cardiff to Haverfordwest and to Neyland two years later. A branch line to Milford Haven followed in 1863 and the Pembroke and Tenby Railway (P&T) arrived from Tenby in 1866;their route was built as standard gauge,rather than the SWR's broad gauge,and so initially the P&T had to terminate at its own station next to the main line one,which by now was owned by the Great Western Railway. This separate P&T station had opened on 4 September 1866 and was closed in August 1869. [1] A single line was converted to dual gauge in 1868 to allow P&T trains to reach Carmarthen. Full-through-running trains between the two routes was made possible in 1872 with the conversion of the main line to standard gauge. The network in the area was completed when the Cardigan branch was opened in stages between 1873 and 1886.
From 1957 the station was rebuilt. On the up side it had a ticket hall,waiting room with refreshments,ladies waiting room,toilets,stationmaster's office,district inspector's office,parcels office,central heating,and a 320 ft (98 m) steel and aluminium platform canopy. On the down side it had a 270 ft (82 m) canopy,refreshment room and toilets. [2]
The station has an approximately hourly service (including Sundays) to and from Carmarthen and Swansea eastbound and every two hours westbound to each of Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock. Certain eastbound services continue onwards to Cardiff Central,Hereford and Manchester Piccadilly. [3]
The services between Fishguard Harbour and Carmarthen (and stations further afield) also call (eight trains per day Mon-Sat,with 1 on Sundays,plus a 6-days-a-week night time service). Summer Saturday Class 800 services between London Paddington and Pembroke Dock also serve Whitland.
Transport for Wales Rail boat trains to and from Fishguard Harbour serve the station. These connect with the Stena Line ferry to Rosslare Europort in Ireland with a daily morning and evening service in both directions. This route has been in existence since 1906.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Carmarthen | Transport for Wales West Wales Line - Pembroke branch | Narberth | ||
Transport for Wales West Wales line - Milford Haven and Fishguard branches | Clunderwen | |||
Carmarthen | Great Western Railway London - Pembroke | Saundersfoot Or Narberth | ||
Historical railways | ||||
St Clears Line open, station closed | Great Western Railway South Wales Railway | Clunderwen Line and station open | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Terminus | Great Western Railway Whitland & Cardigan Railway | Llanfalteg Halt Line and station closed |
Despite being a once-major junction, the facilities at Whitland station are limited. There are neither toilet nor waiting room facilities available. The main building located on the eastbound platform once contained a waiting room and ticket office, but is now closed and boarded up (tickets must therefore be purchased on board the train or prior to travel). Most of this platform is covered by a canopy, and west of the building rusting rails remain in one of the former bay platforms. Across the footbridge, waiting shelters are provided on the westbound platform. There is in fact a serviceable bay platform behind this, accessed from the Pembroke Dock branch, but this is seldom used for passenger trains as services from the branch do not normally terminate at Whitland.
Train running information is provided by timetable posters, digital display screens and a customer help point on each side. Step-free access is available to both operational platforms, though the eastbound one is via a steep ramp. [4]
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 190 miles 45 chains (306.7 km) measured from the zero point at London Paddington, via Stroud.
Swansea railway station serves the city of Swansea, Wales. It is 216 miles 7 chains (348 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.
Llanelli railway station is the railway station serving the town of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the West Wales line and the Heart of Wales line 225 miles 20 chains (362.5 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud. The station and the majority of trains calling are operated by Transport for Wales.
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. The station is 229 miles 15 chains (368.8 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud.
Carmarthen railway station is on the West Wales Line serving the town of Carmarthen, Wales, south of the River Towy, 245 miles 55 chains (395.4 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud. The station is operated by Transport for Wales. Great Western Railway also run a limited service between Carmarthen and London Paddington, usually six trains each way daily with an additional return service to Bristol Parkway.
Tenby railway station in Tenby is on the Pembroke Dock branch of the West Wales Line operated by Transport for Wales Rail, who also manage the station. Trains call here every two hours in each direction, westwards towards Pembroke and eastwards to Whitland, Carmarthen and Swansea.
Pembroke railway station serves the town of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
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.
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. It is the westernmost railway station in Wales, but not in Great Britain as some stations in England and Scotland are further west.
The Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was originally a standard-gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway (GWR) in Wales, connecting Carmarthen and Aberystwyth.
The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the time of opening the first short section of its line in 1860, and it was in receivership for much of its life. It eventually reached Llandysul in 1864 but was not extended further during its independent existence.
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.
Sir James Weeks Szlumper JP DL was an English civil engineer. He was Chief Engineer on a number of key railway engineering projects in the Victorian era.
Fishguard and Goodwick railway station is a railway station sited 1 mile from Fishguard in the neighbouring town of Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is owned by Pembrokeshire County Council and just over 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) from the larger Fishguard Harbour station. Following its closure in 1964, it reopened on 14 May 2012 following investment from Network Rail and Pembrokeshire County Council.
The Whitland and Cardigan Railway was a 27.5 miles (44.3 km) long branch line in West Wales. It was built in two stages, at first as the Whitland and Taf Vale Railway from the South Wales Main Line at Whitland to the quarries at Glogue. It opened in 1873, at first only for goods and minerals and later for passengers. The line to Cardigan opened in 1886; reflected in the company name change.
The Great Western Railway was a railway company that was dominant in West Wales, in the United Kingdom.
Media related to Whitland railway station at Wikimedia Commons