Place Carmarthen Station code CMN DfT category D Opened 1902 | Grid reference SN412196 Managed by Arriva Trains Wales 2011/12 0.421 million Number of platforms 2 | |
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Address Carmarthen SA31 3JR, United Kingdom Similar Swansea railway station, Cardiff Central railway st, Pembrey and Burry Port railw, Bridgend railway station, Clarbeston Road railway st | ||
Carmarthen railway station
Carmarthen railway station is on the edge of the town of Carmarthen, Wales, south of the River Towy. It is on the West Wales Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, who operate most of the passenger trains serving it. Great Western Railway also operates a limited service between this station and London Paddington (usually one train each way daily, with additional services on Sundays).
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Services
To the east, Arriva Trains Wales operate regular services to Swansea, Cardiff Central, Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly. Great Western Railway currently operate one service per day (Mon-Sat, 3 on Sundays) between this station and London Paddington. The majority of local train services west of Carmarthen are timed to connect with the London Paddington services at either Swansea or Cardiff Central.
To the west, Arriva Trains Wales operate services to Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour. Carmarthen is the eastern terminus for a few of these services.
The British Transport Police maintain a presence at Carmarthen.
Rail and sea corridor to Ireland
Some of the Arriva Trains Wales boat trains to and from Fishguard Harbour serve the station. These connect with the Stena Line ferry to/from Rosslare Europort in Ireland with a daily morning and evening service in both directions. This route has been in existence since 1906.
South Wales Railway
The present station is the third to serve the town and dates from 1902, although the South Wales Railway's main line from Swansea to Neyland reached it some fifty years earlier. This original station was built with westward expansion in mind (being located at the base of the triangular junction half a mile south of the present station) and was poorly sited for the town itself.
Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway
A second station (Carmarthen Town) was opened by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway in 1860 on its route northwards towards Cynwyl Elfed and Pencader which was much better sited for the town (on the opposite side of the river) and this remained in use until its replacement by the current station shortly after the turn of the century. The Town station did however remain in use for goods traffic thereafter beyond the closure of the final portion of the line Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway in September 1973, until the goods yard closed around 1981 - the single track girder bridge over the River Tywi was subsequently removed during 1983.
The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway, in spite of its name, never actually reached Cardigan, as it was constructed only as far as Newcastle Emlyn (which was reached only in 1895). Cardigan was eventually served instead by the winding Whitland and Cardigan Branch Line from Whitland, the primary junction in Pembrokeshire. The C&CR did however link up with the ill-fated Manchester and Milford Railway at Pencader, putting the town on a through route to Aberystwyth by 1867.
Other railways
Another outlet to the north came courtesy of the Llanelly Railway's branch from Llandeilo, which reached Abergwili Junction in 1864 and whose trains reached the Town station by means of running powers following its takeover by the LNWR in 1873. The final link in the chain of lines to the north was added in 1911, when a branch line from Lampeter to Aberaeron was opened by the Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway. This was worked by the Great Western Railway from the outset, as the company had by this time absorbed the other lines mentioned (apart from the Llandeilo branch, which remained in LNWR hands until the 1923 Grouping).
Closures
Today, none of the lines to the north survive, the first round of closures having begun as early as May 1951 when the Aberaeron line lost its passenger trains. The Newcastle Emlyn line followed suit in September 1952, whilst the Llandeilo branch went in September 1963 and the 'main line' to Aberystwyth in February 1965, although milk trains continued to operate as far as Pont Llanio (near Tregaron) on the Aberystwyth main line until 1970 and to Newcastle Emlyn and to Felinfach on the Aberaeron branch until September 1973. This left only the original South Wales Railway main line to serve the station and left it as a terminus at the end of short spur from the main line at which all trains have to reverse before continuing their journeys. This was not so much of a problem with DMUs but led to the need for a run-round of locomotive-hauled trains which were regularly used until the mid-1980s. Only two of the five original platforms here (the former platforms 2 & 3) are now used, with the majority of trains using the former down main platform (now numbered 1) where the main facilities are located. The other active platform (formerly platform 3, now renumbered 2) is used when two trains are scheduled to call at the same time (also for unit stabling) - it is linked to platform one by a barrow crossing that spans the shunting neck that is used for locos to run around their trains. This is the sole remnant of the former route north.
Historically, the line to Aberystwyth and Llandeilo continued beyond the station across the river past the site of the goods yard (now a builders yard) and then has been buried under the Carmarthen eastern by-pass dual carriageway as far as the former Abergwili Junction. The Aberystwyth line then turned north out to Bronwydd Arms. From Abergwili Junction northwards, the railway trackbed resumes and is owned by the Gwili Railway which runs preserved trains up the Aberystwyth line as far as Danycoed near to Cynwyl Elfed.