Caernarvon railway station

For the modern station in the same town, see Caernarfon railway station.

Caernarvon
Station in 1966
General information
LocationCaernarfon
Wales
Coordinates53°08′41″N 4°16′17″W / 53.14461°N 4.27145°W / 53.14461; -4.27145
Grid referenceSH 481 632
Platforms5[1]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBangor and Carnarvon Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 July 1852Opened as Carnarvon[2][3]
27 March 1926Renamed Caernarvon[2][4]
5 January 1970Closed[4]
23 May 1970Temporarily reopened for freight
30 January 1972Closed for freight

Caernarvon railway station was a stop on the former Bangor and Carnarvon Railway between Caernarfon in Gwynedd and the Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor, Wales. The station was closed to all traffic in January 1972; it has since been demolished and the site redeveloped.

History

The station, which opened on 1 July 1852, was first named Carnarvon.[2][nb 1] 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-yard (270 m) tunnel was constructed just south of the station to carry the new line; it was reopened in 1995 as a road tunnel.[citation needed]

By 1871, all three original companies were absorbed into the London and North Western Railway. The station was renamed Caernarvon on 27 March 1926.[2][4] In December 1964, the lines to Afon Wen and Llanberis were closed under the Beeching Axe.[5]

On 5 January 1970, Caernarvon was closed to all services.[4] 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 was completely demolished.[1]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Griffith's Crossing   London and North Western Railway
Carnarvonshire Railway 		  Dinas Junction
  London and North Western Railway
Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway 		  Pont Rug (Halt)

The site today

A Morrisons supermarket now occupies the site,[6] having been built under the Safeway brand in the late 1980s. It was opened by the mayor of Caernarfon and was acquired by Morrisons in 2004.

Services in Caernarfon

The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) now operates from Caernarfon railway station; it uses the original trackbed of the Carnarvonshire Railway, just south of the tunnel on St Helen's Road and beneath the high retaining walls of Segontium Terrace.

Caernarfon Council have a longer-term plan to reinstate the railway link to Bangor. After speculation that the WHR would, at some point in time, be extended to Bangor station, the owner of the WHR (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.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Although the Welsh spelling of the town is Caernarfon, the English spelling was typically used by many railway companies.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Fifoot, Les; Wright, Paul (17 May 2017). "Station name: Caernarvon". Disused Stations. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Butt (1995), page 54
  3. ^ Turner 2003, p. 4.
  4. ^ a b c d Butt (1995), page 51
  5. ^ Baughan (1988)
  6. ^ Shannon & Hillmer 1999, pp. 16–17.
  7. ^ "Ffestiniog Railway: No plans to extend link from Caernarfon to Bangor". Daily Post. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

Sources

Further reading

  • Clemens, Jim (2003) [1959-67]. North Wales Steam Lines No. 6 (DVD). Uffington, Shropshire: B&R Video Productions. BRVP No 79.