Pwllheli railway station

Pwllheli Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Gwynedd
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	PWL
History
Original company	Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1869	Opened
1909	Moved to current site
1977	Signal boxes and 3 of 4 platforms closed

Pwllheli railway station is a railway station serving the small coastal town of Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. It is the terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway. The journey from Birmingham International takes as long as 11 hours and 7 minutes to complete.

History

The original station was built in 1869 by the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway, one of the constituent companies of the Cambrian Railways.

Following land reclamation, the railway was extended west, closer to the town centre, and a new station was opened on the current site in 1909. This station had two platforms and a small loading dock, a layout which survived until rationalisation in 1977.[1]

A goods yard was developed on the site of the original station. The site also included a turntable which is now in the possession of the West Somerset Railway.

The Great Western Railway doubled the line between Pwllheli station and the goods yard in order to increase capacity, but the signals were removed in 1977 and the double track section now forms a long run-round loop for visiting charter trains.

Prior to the closure of the Afon Wen to Caernarfon Line in 1964, there were two named express services daily during the summer between Pwllheli and London:

• The Cambrian Coast Express ran via Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham to London (Paddington).
• The Welshman ran via Caernarfon and Crewe to London (Euston).

On 12 September 1977, both signal boxes at the station were closed. One side of the island platform was abandoned and the track was lifted shortly after. The platform canopy, constructed by the G.W.R. survived intact until early in 1980, although the concourse remains covered today. By 1987 a supermarket was developed on the redundant land.

Present station

The station currently has one platform, a siding and a loop. Services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales and depart from Pwllheli for Machynlleth, Shrewsbury or Birmingham. Occasional charter services also terminate at the station.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Abererch		Arriva Trains Wales Cambrian Coast Line		Terminus
	Historical railways
Abererch Line and station open		Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway Cambrian Railways		Terminus

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.
• 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.