Aberystwyth railwey station

Aberystwyth railwey station is a railwey station in the seaside an varsity toun o Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It is sert bi passenger trains operatitt bi Transport for Wales: it is the stance o the Cambrian Line 81 ¹⁄₂ mile (131.2 km) wast o Shrewsbury. It is awso the stance o the nairae-gauge Vale o Rheidol Railway.

Aberystwyth
Terminus at Aberystwyth Station
Location
Place	Aberystwyth
Local authority	Ceredigion
Coordinates	52.4139°N 4.08157°W / 52.4139; -4.08157
Grid reference	SN585815
Operations
Station code	AYW
Managed bi	Transport for Wales
Nummer o platforms	1 (standard gauge) 1 (narrow gauge)
DfT category	D
Live arrivals/departurs, station information an onwart connections frae National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger uissage*
2013/14	0.307 million
2014/15	0.304 million
2015/16	0.322 million
2016/17	0.327 million
History
Oreeginal company	Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-groupin	Cambrian Railways / Great Western Railway
Post-groupin	Great Western Railway
23 June 1864	Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway station opens[1]
19 July 1867	Manchester and Milford Railway station opens; later amalgamates with A&WC station[1]
22 December 1902	Vale of Rheidol Aberystwyth Smithfield station opens[2]
31 July 1925	Great Western Railway (Vale of Rheidol) station opens adjacent to standard gauge station replacing Aberystwyth Smithfield[1][2]
31 August 1939	Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station closes (World War 2)
23 July 1945	Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station reopens
1964	Carmarthen Line services cease
17 April 1968	Vale of Rheidol Railway services start from combined station using the Carmarthen Line platforms - Great Western (Vale of Rheidol) station closes
Leetit status
Leetin grade	Grade II listed (since 24 November 1987)
Entry nummer	9930
Addit tae leet	12 July 1981
National Rail – UK railwey stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimatit passenger uissage based on sales o tickets in statit financial year(s) that end or oreeginate at Aberystwyth frae Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology mey vary year on year.
UK Railweys portal

History

The oreeginal station wis biggit in 1863 bi the Aberystwith an Welsh Coast Railway for the route tae Machynlleth. The neebouring Manchester & Milford railwey wis tae big a twa road platform adjyning this, tae mak a jynt station an providit aiccess sooth tae Carmarthen. The station wis greatly stended in 1925 bi the Great Western Railway: the oreeginal station biggin on ane side o the platforms wis replaced bi a grand stance biggin.

The station in 1952

At that time the station haed five platforms: Platform 1 at the sooth-east end o the station an twa island platforms. Platforms 1 an 2 war essentially bay platforms, ilk o the same lenth (an shorter than the ither three). Thay war the oreeginal Manchester & Milford railwey platforms, uised for the Carmarthen services (tho Platform 2 wis occasionally uised for main-line trains). The Carmarthen line wis closed in 1965. The foregane Platform 3 is on the ither side o Platform 2; it is the anely platform aye uised for mainline rail an haes been redesignated as Platform 1 in recent years. The foregane Platform 4 (closed in 1982, track remuived) is nou takken up bi the "Craft" freecycling shap. At that time the seegnal box wis awso closed an demolished. Aiccess tae the station an the station faceelities is nou primarily via the oreeginal 1864 biggin. The rinning-aroond line atween thir twa, for locomotive-haled trains, endures aye. Platform 5 (closed in the 1960s) wis an emergency platform on the ither side o Platform 4, but awee trace remains. The guids yaird haes acome the Rheidol Retail Pairk.

The imposin GWR exterior seen in 1992

Platform view in 1992

Wi the dwyne o railwey uissage an o local tourism, the faceelities war ower lairge for thair purpose. The railwey yaird wis liftit in the 1980s an the raw o shaps in front, kent as Western Parade, wis demolished in the 1990s tae allou the biggin o a new retail pairk an bus station. The 1925 station biggin haes seen seiveral uises, includin as a local museum, but wis hinderly sauld aff an convertit intae a Wetherspoons pub. This conversion mainteened the airchitecture an wan awairds. Ither pairts o the biggin hae acome an Indian restaurant, office space an accommodation for a local furnitur recycling schame.

Vale o Rheidol Railwey

The platform that wis oreeginally uised bi trains via Lampeter tae Carmarthen is nou uised bi the nairae gauge steam-operatit Vale o Rheidol Railwey. This railwey's track rins parpen tae an immediately tae the sooth o the main line as faur as Llanbadarn Fawr. Appened in 1902, it oreginally haed its awn stance at "Aberystwyth Smithfield" (named efter Smithfield Road, nou Pairk Avenue). This closed in 1925 an wis replaced bi a station a short range frae the main railwey station; that station site is nou a supermercat car pairk. In 1968 its track wis rerouted intae the foregane standard gauge bay Platforms 1 an 2 o the main station. As thair trains unlaid at grund level, a new ledge an grund-level island platform war biggit in the space atween the twa oreeginal platforms. Thare is a rinaroond loop an aiccess tae the foregane mainline railwey shed. This wis uised as the storage an warks airie for the Vale o Rheidol Railwey. Frae 2014, the Vale o Rheidol Railwey, wi the help o an EU-fundit grant, convertit the auld platform 1 o the Carmarthen brainch tae a reduced hicht. This nou allous customers tae buird coaches frae the level o the rinning buird, conter tae frae grund level. The aiccess is invailuable tae passengers wha hae mobeelity issues. This daesna allou wheelcheers tae be wheeled ontae coaches, but the company is warkin on a solution bi adapting some endurin rowing stock tae this purpose.

In 2011, a purpose-biggit railwey warks wis biggit on the site o the auld GWR coaling stage. This nou allous the railwey tae cairy oot heivy mainteenance an restorations on its stock. It awso allous contract wark tae be unnertakken. The warks haes a prentice schuil.

The day

As o 2006, the station haes a single mainline platform for trains tae Machynlleth an ayont, wi a loop that is uised tae reverse locomotive-haled speicials, includin steam services an mainteenance trains.

Thare are owertures, bi the Vale o Rheidol railwey, tae estaiblish a railwey museum at the station, uisin structurs remuived frae London Bridge station upon modrenisation.^[3]

Faceelities

The station haes a staffed ticket office, appen sax days per week (Monandays tae Seturdays 07:10 - 17:40). A sel-service ticket machine is awso providit for uise ootside thir times an for gaitherin pre-peyed tickets. Ither amenities include toilets, a coffee shap, restaurant, waitin room an a customer help pynt. Train rinnin information is awso offered via digital information screens, automatic annuncements an timetable posters. Stap-free aiccess is appen atween the ingang, concourse an platform. Mony o thir impruivements cam frae the Welsh Government wi fondin frae European Regional Development Fund an the UK Government's National Station Improvement Project.^[4][5]

Services

Transport for Wales services operate tae Shrewsbury an Birmingham International sclently ivery twa oors.^[6] As o the Mey 2015 timetable chynge, (awmaist) oorly services hae stairtit atween Aberystwyth an Shrewsbury, some o whit conteena tae Birmingham Internaitional .^[7]

Thare war owertures for reinstating a direct train tae Lunnon whit stappit rinnin in 1991. The jurney wad haee takken fower oors,^[8] but the plan wis rejectit in 2010.^[9]

Trains currently caw at Borth, Dovey Junction, Machynlleth, Caersws, Newtown, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Birmingham New Street an Birmingham International.^[3]

Depairturs

The current service paitern (Monandays tae Seturdays) is

• 16 trains per day tae Machynlleth
  • 12 o whit conteena tae Shrewsbury
    • 8 o whit conteena tae Birmingham New Street
      • 7 o whit conteena tae Birmingham International

The current service paitern (Sundays) is

• 12 trains per day tae Machynlleth
  • 8 o whit conteena tae Shrewsbury
    • 6 o whit conteena tae Birmingham International

Arrivals

On Monandays-Seturdays, the station sees 16 arrivin services (4 stairt at Machynlleth, 4 at Shrewsbury, 1 at Birmingham New Street, an 7 at Birmingham Internaitional).

On Sundays, the station sees 12 arrivin services (3 stairt at Machynlleth, 3 at Shrewsbury, an 6 at Birmingham Internaitional).

Preceding station		National Rail		Follaein station
Borth		Transport for Wales Birmingham Internaitional-Aberystwyth		Terminus
	Historical railways
Bow Street		Cambrian Railways (GWR) Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway		Terminus
Llanrhystyd Road		Great Western Railway Manchester and Milford Railway		Terminus
	Heritage railways
Terminus		Vale of Rheidol Railway		Llanbadarn

Motive Power Depot

The foregane GWR locomotive depot

A wee ingine shiel wis appened close tae the station in 1864 an stendit in 1867.^[10] This wis demolished bi the Great Western Railway in 1938 tae mak wey for a lairger brick biggit structur, whit is aye staundin. The shiel wisna allocatit a code bi British Railways sin it wis deemed a sub-shiel o Machynlleth, an sae locomotives hae that depot's code, 89C.^[11]

Aberystwyth Motive Power Depot wis merkit as bein the hintmaist steam locomotive depot on the British Rail netwark. Ineetially closed unner the Beeching report, alang wi the line tae Carmarthen, it wis adapted for uise bi the Vale o Rheidol railwey whan it relocatit tae the foregane Carmarthen platforms. The faceelity replaced a disjaskit set o wee shiels at the railwey's oreeginal base, at the riverside bi the fitba grund. The airie is nou uised as a car pairk. The shiel airie maks a wee spur in whit is itherweys a linear ootset. The Vale o Rheidol wis steam operatit bi British Rail till preevatisation in 1989. Accuirdingly, it wis an aft requeestit posting for staff. The line is steam operatit aye but is awnt bi a chairitable trust.

A new steel framed locomotive warks wis feenisht in late 2011. The biggin includes a machine shap, restoration warkshap an locomotive rinnin shiel. The endurin foregane Great Western Railway shiel is currently uised tae hoose the rinnin fleet.^[12]