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Gowerton railway station

Coordinates: 51°38′55″N 4°02′07″W / 51.6487°N 4.0353°W / 51.6487; -4.0353
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Gowerton

Welsh: Tre-gŵyr
National Rail
General information
LocationGowerton, Swansea
Wales
Coordinates51°38′55″N 4°02′07″W / 51.6487°N 4.0353°W / 51.6487; -4.0353
Grid referenceSS592964
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeGWN
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened1 August 1854; 170 years ago (1854-08-01)
Passengers
2019/20Decrease 0.178 million
2020/21Decrease 34,648
2021/22Increase 0.105 million
2022/23Increase 0.119 million
2023/24Increase 0.142 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Gowerton railway station (originally Gower Road and later Gowerton North) serves the village of Gowerton, Wales. It is located at street level at the end of Station Road in Gowerton, 219 miles 45 chains (353.4 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud.[1] The station is unmanned but has a ticket machine, shelters on each platform and live train running information displays.

Background

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Gowerton station was opened as Gower Road by the South Wales Railway on Tuesday 1 August 1854.[2] It was later renamed Gowerton, following a request to the railway company by the parish vestry, and from 1950 became known as Gowerton North to distinguish it from the Gowerton South railway station which served the now closed Pontarddulais to Swansea Victoria section of the Heart of Wales Line until 1964.[3][page needed]

History

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Gowerton station in June 2006

The station originally had two platforms, sited on the section between Cockett station and Duffryn, but the track was singled in 1986 as an economy measure. Network Rail planned to re-double the section of railway through this station and re-instate the disused east-bound platform in May 2012. Work commenced in March 2013 and was completed a month later.[4][5]

This has increased the capacity of this section of line and allowed more trains to stop at this station.[6] The re-doubling work was completed in July 2013 with the disused platform brought back into use. This resulted in an additional 95 services stopping at Gowerton every week[7] and this has also helped to increase passenger usage at the station, which has risen by 2,100% since 1998.[8]

Services

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Gowerton is served approximately every hour by Transport for Wales services heading westbound towards Llanelli, where they continue to either West Wales or to Shrewsbury via the Heart of Wales line; and eastbound towards Swansea, with many continuing further east to Cardiff Central, Hereford and Manchester Piccadilly.[9] The station was originally a request stop, but on 9 September 2013, it was no longer listed as one.

Future services

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In December 2022, the ORR approved Grand Union to commence a new service from Paddington to Carmarthen in partnership with Spanish rail operator Renfe, for which a fleet of new bi-mode trains will be used. The new service is scheduled to commence in December 2024.[10] The service will call at Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport, Cardiff Central, Gowerton and Llanelli en-route to Carmarthen.[11]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Swansea   Transport for Wales
West Wales Line 		  Llanelli
Swansea   Transport for Wales
Heart of Wales Line 		  Llanelli
  Future services  
Cardiff Central   Grand Union
London - Carmarthen 		  Llanelli

References

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  1. ^ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 24A. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
  2. ^ Wassell, N.T. (c. 1986). "Gowerton North (Part One)". the Railway Club of Wales. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help) Article cites a contemporary report in The Cambrian newspaper.
  3. ^ Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Wales and Scotland, 1830-1977. Bristol: AvonAngliA Publications. 1978.
  4. ^ South Wales Evening Post. May 2012. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ "Loughor viaduct brings more trains to Gowerton". BBC News. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Network Rail Wales RUS" (PDF). Network Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  7. ^ Youle, Richard (15 July 2013). "Revamped Gowerton train station is on track to fine future". This is South Wales. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  8. ^ Johnston, Howard (13 April 2016). "Regional News". Rail. No. 798. p. 25. ISSN 0953-4563.
  9. ^ Table 128 & 129 National Rail timetable, December 2016
  10. ^ "Trains: Plans for new London-west Wales services approved". BBC News. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  11. ^ ORR approves Grand Union London - Carmarthern trains Rail issue 972 14 December 2022 page 17
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