Criccieth railway station

Criccieth Welsh: Cricieth
General information
Location	Criccieth, Gwynedd Wales
Coordinates	52.918°N 4.238°W / 52.918; -4.238
Grid reference	SH496380
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	CCC
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1867	opened
Passengers
2019/20	23,954
2020/21	2,320
2021/22	16,316
2022/23	26,218
2023/24	25,666
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Criccieth railway station serves the seaside town of Criccieth on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.

History

The station was opened on 2 September 1867 by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway.[1][2]

Goods services were withdrawn in 1964.[3] The line between Caernarvon and Afonwen was closed the same year. Prior to this there was a through service in the summer between Criccieth and London and Birmingham.[4][5] Services included London Euston via Crewe, Chester, Llandudno Junction and Caernarvon; the Pwllheli portion was detached at Afonwen and the forward coaches proceeded to Portmadoc (the spellings are those used at the time). There was also a summer Saturday service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.[6][7]

The station originally had two platforms with a passing loop; this was taken out of use when the signal box closed on 16 October 1977, though the redundant track remained in place for several years. The station is now a single-platform, unstaffed halt.[8][9] The platform is accessible from the High Street, and there is a car park.[10] The main station building is in private use.[11]

Services

The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Tywyn, and Machynlleth. Trains call every two hours each way on weekdays, with 5 trains each way on Sundays.[12]

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 1 December.[13]

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Penychain		Transport for Wales Cambrian Coast Line		Porthmadog
	Historical railways
Afon Wen Line open; station closed		Cambrian Railways Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway		Black Rock Halt Line open; station closed

References

Citations

1. Jenkins & Loader 2015, p. 276.
2. Butt 1995, p. 71.
3. Jenkins & Loader 2015, p. 277.
4. "LNWR Caernarfon - Afonwen". London & North Western Railway Society. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
5. "Bangor to Caernarfon train driver says it was a mistake to close the line". North Wales Daily Post. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
6. Steele 2007, p. 67.
7. Cryer 2014, p. 141.
8. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photos 81-3 & Map XXII.
9. Shannon & Hillmer 1999, pp. 28–29.
10. "Criccieth". National Rail. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
11. "The Welsh train station that's being sold as a home - even though the platform is still in use". Wales Online. 6 March 2019.
12. Cambrian Timetable - May 2023 TfW; Retrieved 2023-10-17.
13. "Buses replace trains between Machynlleth and Pwllheli from Friday 1 September to Friday 1 December" National Rail; Retrieved 2023-10-17.

Sources

• Jenkins, Stanley; Loader, Martin (2015). The Great Western Railway Volume Five Shrewsbury to Pwllheli. Amberley. ISBN 978-1-445-64299-4.
• 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.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bangor to Portmadoc: Including Three Llanberis Lines (Country Railway Routes). Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-72-7.
• Shannon, Paul; Hillmer, John (1999). North Wales (British Railways Past & Present) Part 2. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-163-1. No 36.
• 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.

External links

Media related to Criccieth railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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