Porthmadog railway station

Railway station in Gwynedd, Wales

52°55′52″N 4°08′02″W / 52.931°N 4.134°W / 52.931; -4.134Grid referenceSH565391Managed byTransport for WalesPlatforms2[1]Other informationStation codePTMClassificationDfT category F1HistoryOriginal companyAberystwith and Welsh Coast RailwayPre-groupingCambrian RailwaysPost-groupingGreat Western RailwayPassengers2018/19Increase 73,0562019/20Decrease 68,2042020/21Decrease 9,5062021/22Increase 38,7182022/23Increase 69,024 Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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.

History

Porthmadog has had a number of stations using this name, or the original name, Portmadoc. The present station was opened by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway as Portmadoc on 12 September 1867, and renamed Porthmadog on 5 May 1975.[2] The Festiniog Railway's Porthmadog Harbour railway station was originally only a shunting yard, but was upgraded to a full station on 6 January 1865. It was renamed to Portmadoc Old on 8 June 1923, and then to Portmadoc on 23 July 1955. It was renamed to Porthmadog on 10 March 1973.[2]

The Welsh Highland Railway (WH) run a station known as Porthmadog, which opened on 2 August 1980.[2] Although located on High Street, is also (incorrectly) referred to as Tremadog Road.[3]

Additionally there were two interim stations either side of, what is now, the Network Rail / WH Cae Pawb crossing. These were referred to as Portmadoc New, with the original Festionig Railway station becoming Portmadoc Old. The Festiniog Railway station opened on 8 June 1923 and closed on 16 September 1939, while the WH station opened in May 1929 and closed on 28 September 1936.[2]

In 2014, main line services were suspended due to structural problems with the Pont Briwet viaduct near Llandecwyn.[4] Network Rail and Gwynedd Council were carrying out work to build a £20 million replacement for the current bridge a few metres downstream, but in doing so had caused the old one to sink and thus made it unsafe for both rail & road traffic. A replacement bus service operated during the railway's closure.[5][6]

Services

Until the line between Bangor and Afonwen closed in 1964 there was a through service in the summer to and from London Euston via Crewe, Chester, Llandudno Junction and Caernarfon; the Pwllheli portion was detached at Afonwen and the forward coaches proceeded to Portmadoc (as it was then known). There was also a summer service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.[7][8]

Trains currently call at Porthmadog roughly once every two hours Monday - Saturday, with 5 trains stopping in each direction on Sundays. Trains run through to/from Pwllheli and Machynlleth.[9]

From 1 September 2023 engineering work is taking place to finish restoration of the Barmouth Viaduct. Rail replacement buses will serve all stations from Pwllheli to Machynlleth until 1st December.[10]

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Criccieth   Transport for Wales
Cambrian Coast Line
   Minffordd
  Historical railways  
Black Rock Halt
Line open, station closed 		  Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Cambrian Railways
   Minffordd
Line and station open
Heritage Railways  Heritage railways
Connection with Porthmadog (WHHR) on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Connection with Porthmadog Harbour on the Ffestiniog Railway and Welsh Highland Railway

References

Citations

  1. ^ Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photos 86-91 & Map XXIII.
  2. ^ a b c d Butt 1995, p. 189.
  3. ^ "Porthmadog WHR". Google Maps. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  4. ^ Milner, Chris (1 January 2014). "Bridge Fiasco could close Porthmadoc line until 2015". Railway Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Pont Briwet, Penrhyndeudraeth". RBA Ltd. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Pont Briwet bridge closed over safety as £20m crossing built". BBC News. 7 March 2020.
  7. ^ Steele 2007, p. 67.
  8. ^ Cryer 2014, p. 141.
  9. ^ Cambrian Timetable - May 2023 TfW; Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  10. ^ "Buses replace trains between Machynlleth and Pwllheli from Friday 1 September to Friday 1 December" National Rail; Retrieved 2023-10-17.

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  • Steele, Rod (2007). From Crewe to Euston: In the Golden Age of Steam. History Press Ltd. ISBN 978-0-750-94753-4.
  • Cryer, Geoff (2014). Shropshire Railways. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-847-97692-5.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bangor to Portmadoc: Including Three Llanberis Lines (Country Railway Routes). Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978 1 906008 72 7.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Porthmadog to Blaenau. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 2-11. ISBN 9781873793503. OCLC 877269886.

External links

Media related to Porthmadog railway station at Wikimedia Commons

  • Train times and station information for Porthmadog railway station from National Rail
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