Builth Road railway station

Builth Road railway station is a station primarily serving the town of Builth Wells, in mid Wales. It is on the Heart of Wales Line. The station is over two miles (about 3.5 km) northwest of Builth Wells via the A470, a busy trunk road.

Builth Road
Builth Road station platform looking north, September 2013
Location
Place	Builth Wells
Local authority	Powys
Coordinates	52.1689°N 3.4271°W / 52.1689; -3.4271
Grid reference	SO024532
Operations
Station code	BHR
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Owned by	Network Rail
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	8,054
2015/16	8,244
2016/17	7,672
2017/18	7,458
2018/19	7,132
History
Original company	Mid Wales Railway (Llechryd) and Central Wales Extension Railway (Builth Road)
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways (Low Level) and London & North Western Railway (High Level)
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway (Low Level) and London, Midland & Scottish Railway (High Level)
1864	Llechryd station opened
1866	Builth Road station opened
1889	Llechryd station renamed Builth Road Low Level
1962	Low Level platforms closed
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Builth Road from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The hamlet of Builth Road has developed around the station.[1]

History

The station uses one of the high level platforms of the former interchange station with the earlier Mid Wales Railway (closed 31 December 1962) which served the town of Builth Wells directly on its route from Cardiff to the North. The original (low level) station did not bear the name "Builth Road", instead being given the name "Llechryd". Builth Road was the name subsequently given to the Central Wales Extension Railway's high level station on the line from Llandrindod Wells to Llandovery that opened in 1866.[2] The Mid-Wales Railway station was eventually renamed Builth Road Low Level in 1889. The two routes crossed immediately south of the High Level station on a girder bridge and were at one time connected by lift.

Both the High and Low Level stations had substantial buildings until the mid-1960s, with High Level also having a goods shed (still in existence) and a running loop to accommodate the banking locomotives employed to assist trains on the 1 in 74 climb up from Llandrindod Wells.[3][4] The former Low Level station buildings also still stand and were used as the former Cambrian Arms public house,[5] whilst those on the remaining active platform at High Level are now used as housing.

Facilities

The station is unmanned (like most others on the route) and has no ticket machine, so tickets must be purchased in advance or on the train. There is a standard waiting shelter on the platform, along with a digital CIS display, timetable poster board and customer help point at the station entrance. Level access is provided from the entrance to the platform, with a section raised to assist passengers boarding and alighting.[6]

Services

All trains serving the station are operated by Transport for Wales and it is a request stop. There are only four trains a day in each direction from Monday to Saturday, and two services on Sundays.[7] During the Royal Welsh Show, Transport for Wales run special services with connecting buses to/from the showground on the northern outskirts of Builth Wells.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Cilmeri		Transport for Wales Heart of Wales Line		Llandrindod
	Disused railways
Newbridge on Wye Line and station closed		Great Western Railway Mid-Wales Railway		Builth Wells Line and station closed

Terminology

Builth Road and Builth Wells
Mid-Wales Railway to Welshpool Heart of Wales line to Craven Arms Builth Road former low level platform Heart of Wales line to Llanelli Mid-Wales Railway to Brecon Mount Street Builth Wells River Wye

The addition of the word "Road" to the name of the station indicates that the station is not at Builth, but is some distance away on the road to Builth. Similarly, Gwinear Road and Beaulieu Road.

It is unusual in retaining the term "road": in recent times some such stations have been provided with park and ride facilities and renamed "Parkway", for example Bodmin Parkway. But it is not the only station on the line to retain the "Road" suffix, as the station serving Llanbister retains the name Llanbister Road.

Gallery

• 
  High level station in 1967
• 
  View of the low level station in 1962
• 
  The engine shed at Builth Road in 1962
• 
  Arrangement of high and low level lines in 1945
• 
  Railway bridge spanning the River Wye in the snow.
• 
  Shelter and digital CIS display (2017)
• 
  Montage above information boards (2014)

References

1. "Map of Builth Road". Streetmap.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
2. "Victorian Builth - a New Railway Community" Powys Digital History Project; Retrieved 23 July 2017
3. Builth Road High Level (1967) Brooksbank, Ben Geograph.org.uk; Retrieved 23 July 2017
4. Body, G. (1983), PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Western Region, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 0-85059-546-0, p.48
5. Cambrian Arms, Builth Road Halling , Phillip Geograph.org.uk; Retrieved 23 July 2017
6. Builth Road station facilities National Rail Enquiries
7. Table 129 National Rail timetable, December 2018

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Brecon to Newtown. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 56-63. ISBN 9781906008062. OCLC 288983659.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Organ, John (2008). Mitchell, Vic (ed.). Craven Arms to Llandeilo. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 61-75. ISBN 9781906008352. OCLC 648080889.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

Media related to Builth Road railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Builth Road railway station from National Rail