Swansea railway station: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 17:08, 29 November 2007 edit81.2.110.250 (talk) →Name of the station: Fix up reference← Previous edit		Revision as of 21:13, 30 November 2007 edit undoWelshleprechaun (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers13,655 edits →Name of the station Next edit →
Line 40:		Line 40:
	Following ] in the 1960s and the closure of ''Swansea Victoria'', the publically visible name of the station was shortened to simply ''Swansea'', when no such disambiguation was required.		Following ] in the 1960s and the closure of ''Swansea Victoria'', the publically visible name of the station was shortened to simply ''Swansea'', when no such disambiguation was required.

	Today the station is signed both as ''Abertawe/Swansea'' (such as on platform signs), and ''High Street Station'' (~~such as~~ on the ~~main~~ entrance sign). It is listed by the RMT Union, SWWITCH and the National Assembly for Wales as ''Swansea High Street Station'', and ] list the postal address as "Swansea High Street Station, High Street, Swansea", <ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>		Today the station is signed both as ''Abertawe/Swansea'' (such as on platform signs and on the station's facade), and ''High Street Station'' (on the entrance sign). It is listed by the RMT Union, SWWITCH and the National Assembly for Wales as ''Swansea High Street Station'', and ] list the postal address as "Swansea High Street Station, High Street, Swansea", <ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>
	<ref></ref><ref></ref>		<ref></ref><ref></ref>
	<ref></ref>		<ref></ref>

Revision as of 21:13, 30 November 2007

Swansea

General information
Other names	Abertawe
Location	Swansea
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	SWA
History
Opened	1850

Swansea railway station is the railway station for Swansea, South Wales. It is the 4th busiest station in Wales after Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street and Newport station. It is the only passenger station in the city and one of four in the county.

Train services

To the east services operate along the South Wales Main Line. First Great Western operates Intercity services to London Paddington and Arriva Trains Wales provides the Swanline service to Cardiff Central. Some Arriva Trains Wales services operate to Manchester Piccadilly from Swansea.

To the west, services operate along the West Wales Line to Carmarthen, then to Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven or Fishguard Harbour. These services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Swansea is a terminus station on a spur from the main line, services arriving from east continuing west, and vice versa, turn around at Swansea station. It also serves as an interchange station between mainline services and regional services. It is one of the stations used as an interchange by passengers travelling between England and West Wales and the terminus for some of the West Wales services. It is the southern terminus for most trains travelling on the Heart of Wales Line to Shrewsbury.

Facilities

The station is a terminus, standing at the end of a short branch off the South Wales Main Line and the West Wales Line, so that all through passenger trains between the two must either reverse at Swansea or omit calling there (in practice, almost all passenger services do call there).

It has four platforms, none of which are designated for exclusive use by any particular service. Rather, they are shared between train services according to availability. Intercity express trains from London almost always enter the station standard carriages first, usually at platform 2. The platforms are covered for only part of their length. This means first-class Intercity passengers alight nearest to the station buildings at Paddington station but have no shelter when they board at Swansea.

Automatic ticket barriers are installed controlling access both to and from the platform. Currently these are only used when the station is manned for safety reasons and due to the inability to handle some ticket types. The station also has a small newsagent, cafe and toilet facilities, as well as quite a large ticket office and information centre, although the services this provides have been cut back over the years.

Until January 2004, the mail train to London was a regular service from the station: it was possible to post letters straight onto the train.

History

The station was originally opened in 1850. Although the station was built by the South Wales Railway, which amalgamated with Great Western Railway in 1863, it was not originally on the South Wales Railway trunk line (which was planned to connect London to the ferries to Ireland) and Swansea passengers had to change at Landore, two miles to the north. (This was the case until at least 1879.) Swansea is still on a short spur from the main line. The station was renovated and extended several times in its lifetime and nothing remains of the original wooden station with a galvanised roof and two platforms.

The majority of the rebuilt station remains intact, although the facilities have been reduced. The platform roof is mostly intact although the platform one canopy has been shortened. Platform five is no longer present nor the loading bays and fish dock that once stood beyond it. On the other side of the station a connecting line used to bypass through the station and follow the edge of what was the dock behind Wind Street and down to the dock and yards alongside former Swansea Victoria. The route alongside the station is now the car park and the remainder of the route down the docks has been obliterated (like most of the dock itself) by redevelopment. Most of the freight yard has also been lifted although parts just about remain, and one siding is currently (2007) used to store trains for the morning services.

There was great competition between the different railway companies in the Victorian period. Swansea had seven stations in 1895, built by five different railway companies: High Street, St Thomas, East Dock, Riverside, Victoria, Swansea Bay, and Rutland Street (the town terminus of the Mumbles Railway). Only High Street station now remains in the city centre.

Name of the station

For most of its history it was known as Swansea High Street to distinguish it from other train stations in the area. Following Beeching's cuts in the 1960s and the closure of Swansea Victoria, the publically visible name of the station was shortened to simply Swansea, when no such disambiguation was required.

Today the station is signed both as Abertawe/Swansea (such as on platform signs and on the station's facade), and High Street Station (on the entrance sign). It is listed by the RMT Union, SWWITCH and the National Assembly for Wales as Swansea High Street Station, and Network Rail list the postal address as "Swansea High Street Station, High Street, Swansea", .

It is also referred to as simply Swansea or Swansea railway station, including in public railway timetables, by the National Assembly of Wales and by Swansea County Council .

References

Railways around Swansea factsheet from Swansea Museums Service
The South Wales Railway factsheet from Swansea Museums Service

External links

Train times and station information for Swansea railway station from National Rail

Photographs of the station through the years

Preceding station		Following station
Llansamlet	Arriva Trains Wales South Wales Main Line/ West Wales Line	Gowerton
Terminus	Arriva Trains Wales Heart of Wales Line	Gowerton
Neath	First Great Western South Wales Main Line/ West Wales Line	Llanelli

Categories:

Misplaced Pages