Place Caernarfon 1 July 1852 Opened as Carnarvon Platforms in use 6 | Grid reference SH 481 632 27 March 1926 Renamed Caernarvon | |
Pre-grouping London and North Western Railway Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway Original company Bangor and Carnarvon Railway Similar Groeslon railway station, Bontnewydd railway station, Chwilog railway station, Brynkir railway station, Caernarfon railway station | ||
Caernarvon railway station was a station on the former Bangor and Carnarvon Railway between Caernarfon, Gwynedd and Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor. The station was closed to all traffic in January 1972. The station has since been demolished and the site redeveloped.
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History
The station, which opened on 1 July 1852, was named "Carnarvon". The town was originally the terminus of the branch line from Menai bridge; later becoming part of the Carnarvonshire Railway. In 1864 the Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway extended the branch line 8 miles (13 km) from Carnarvon station to Llanberis. A 300 yards (270 m) tunnel was constructed just south of the station to carry the new line. The tunnel was reopened in 1995 as a road tunnel.
By 1871 all three original companies were absorbed into the London and North Western Railway. The station was renamed "Caernarvon" on 27 March 1926. In 1964 the lines to Afon Wen and Llanberis were closed under the Beeching Axe.
On 5 January 1970, Caernarvon was closed to all services. However following a fire that destroyed the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits on 23 May 1970, the branch and goods yard were temporarily reopened for freight traffic until 30 January 1972. The branch line to Caernarvon station was finally closed with the resumption of rail services to Anglesey and Holyhead in February 1972. The track was removed and the station completely demolished. A Morrisons store now occupies the site.
Present
The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) now operates from Caernarfon railway station which uses the original trackbed of the Carnarvonshire Railway just south of the tunnel on St Helen's Road beneath the high retaining walls of Segontium Terrace.
Caernarfon Council have a longer term plan to reinstate the rail transport link to Bangor. After speculation that the WHR would at some point in time extended itself to Bangor, owner the Ffestiniog Railway wrote to the council in January 2014 to confirm that they would not themselves be supportive of such a scheme in narrow gauge, but supported the reconnection of the town to the national rail network using standard gauge.