Abererch railway station

Abererch railway station is located at a level crossing on the minor road from the beach to the village of Abererch on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.

Abererch
Location
Place	Abererch
Local authority	Gwynedd
Coordinates	52.898°N 4.375°W / 52.898; -4.375
Grid reference	SH403360
Operations
Station code	ABH
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	326
2015/16	1,984
2016/17	2,140
2017/18	2,506
2018/19	2,228
History
Original company	Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
10 October 1867	Station opens[1]
1 May 1956	Renamed Abererch Halt
6 May 1968	Renamed Abererch
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Abererch from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

Opened by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway, then run by the Cambrian Railways, it became part of the Great Western Railway. The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways until the Privatisation of British Railways.

It was upgraded in 1933 to station status but in 1956 reverted to an unstaffed halt. The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1936 to 1939.[2][3] From 1952 to 1964 there was a British Railways Camping coach located in the small siding on the northern side of the railway line; on the right-hand (west) side of the level-crossing when approaching the beach. The single-carriage Camping Coach was usually only located here during the summer months and would be rented out to families for holidaying purposes. Timber access stairways were provided to the coach from the side away from the railway line as there was no permanent platform associated with this siding.[4]

Abererch Halt, as it was referred to, did possess a timber constructed 'Waiting Room' up to the mid-1960s but this was destroyed by fire one evening when the felted roof (allegedly) caught fire from the hot-ashes discharged by a passing steam-hauled train. Other incidents witnessed at the station include severe damage to the railway crossing gates by locomotives when the gates had been left 'open' to vehicular traffic - usually overnight.

There used to be a crossing-keeper's cottage on the northern side of the railway line. The crossing-keeper would open and close the level-crossing gates between each train; principally to let holiday makers to/from the sandy Abererch beach and the adjacent caravan/camping site. The single-storey cottage was externally slate-clad throughout and was situated on the left-hand (east) side when approaching the beach from the A497 Pwllheli - Porthmadog road.

British Rail requested the permission of the Secretary of State for Transport to close Abererch and three other Cambrian Coast stations (namely Llandecwyn, Tygwyn and Tonfanau) during the mid-1990s. Their winter 1995/96 timetable featured only two northbound and three southbound trains Mondays to Saturdays, with a note that the service may be withdrawn before 1 June 1996.[5] The station was retained and service levels have since increased.

Since 22nd June 2020, trains have not called at the station due to the short platform and the inability to maintain social distancing between passengers and the guard when opening the train door.[6]

Services

This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every 2 hours (Mon-Sat) calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, including Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth, whilst most services continue through to Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street.[7] Sunday service from here is limited - three each way in summer and just one in winter. Trains only stop at Abererch by request.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Pwllheli		Transport for Wales Pwllheli - Machynlleth/Birmingham International		Penychain
	Historical railways
Pwllheli Line and station open		Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway Cambrian Railways		Afon Wen Line open; station closed

References

Notes

1. Butt (1995), page 12
2. McRae (1997), page 31
3. Fenton (1999), pages 83-85
4. McRae (1998), pages 112 & 123
5. Regional Railways Central: "Cambrian Coaster Train Times", September 1995
6. https://tfwrail.wales/covid-19/changes-train-times
7. Table 76 National Rail timetable, May 2016

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (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.
• Fenton, Mike (1999). Camp Coach Holidays on the G.W.R. Wild Swan. ISBN 1-874103-53-4.
• McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
• McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.

Further reading

• 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.
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
• Abererch station on navigable O. S. map

External links

Media related to Abererch railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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