Tenby railway station

Tenby National Rail
Welsh: Dinbych-y-pysgod
Location
Place Tenby
Local authority Pembrokeshire
Grid reference SN129005
Operations
Station code TEN
Managed by Transport for Wales
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Decrease 0.109 million
2013/14 Increase 0.112 million
2014/15 Increase 0.121 million
2015/16 Decrease 0.118 million
2016/17 Increase 0.123 million
History
Original company Pembroke and Tenby Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
30 July 1863 (1863-07-30) First station opened
4 September 1866 Station resited
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Tenby from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Tenby railway station serves the town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the Pembroke Dock branch of the West Wales Line operated by Transport for Wales Rail, who also manage the station.

History

The first station at Tenby was opened by the Pembroke and Tenby Railway as the terminus of a line from the Pembroke direction on 6 August 1863.[1]

Steam excursion train from Pembroke Dock to Swansea at Tenby station in 1993

This original terminus station was low-lying and when the decision was made to extend the line to Whitland, a new railway was constructed from the existing Pembroke and Tenby line, at a point called Black Rock Junction, which then climbed to the higher level necessary for the extension.[2] The new Tenby station was opened on 4 September 1866.[3] The original station was then used for freight traffic and became known as "Tenby Lower Yard".[4][5] It was closed and removed in 1965.[6]

The present station buildings date from 1871 and were designed by James Szlumper and built in Bath stone. The original cast iron canopy is still in place.[7] A later passenger footbridge now links the two platforms.

To the north of the station is a viaduct carrying the Whitland extension line. It has seven arches and is 136 yards (125 metres) in length. It is a Grade II listed structure.[8]

Signalling

Tenby has had two signal boxes. The first, of timber construction, opened in 1895 and closed in 1956. Its successor opened in the same year and closed in 1988.[9]

In 2012 the only passing loop on the Whitland to Pembroke Dock branch is located at Tenby and as such east and westbound trains are often scheduled to pass here. As there is no longer a signal box at the station, the electric token instruments for the block sections either side are operated by the train crew under the supervision of the Whitland signaller (a similar system operates on the Heart of Wales Line). Tenby has the first application of motor points worked directly by the token system.

Facilities

The station is no longer manned, but a ticket machine is provided - this can be used to collect pre-paid tickets as well as for buying prior to boarding. A shelter is provided on the eastbound platform in addition to the canopies on each side. Train running information is offered via digital display screens, a help point on platform 2, timetable posters and by telephone (there being a payphone in the station car park). The platforms are linked by footbridge, but wheelchair and mobility impaired users may reach the eastbound platform by means of a barrow crossing (with assistance). Level access is available from the car park to the westbound platform.[10]

Services

Arriva Trains Wales Class 158 at Tenby station

The station is served by the Swansea to Pembroke Dock local trains, which run roughly every two hours each way (with some additional peak services). Some early morning and late night trains run only as far as Carmarthen. There are two trains from Manchester Piccadilly; also Great Western Railway operate here during the summer months and run a return train between London Paddington and Pembroke Dock every Saturday.

There is also a limited Sunday service (4 trains per day each way) on the route.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Quick, M. Passenger Railway Stations in Great Britain, A Chronology. Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society, 2009, p. 377.
  2. ↑ Parker, R., The Railways of Pembrokeshire. Southampton: Noodle Books, 2008, p.41.
  3. ↑ Quick, p.377.
  4. ↑ Parker, p.43
  5. ↑ Cooke, R.A. Atlas of the Great Western Railway, Didcot: Wild Swan, 1988, map 124.
  6. ↑ Parker, p.255
  7. ↑ Lloyd, T., Orbach, J. and Scourfield, R. The Buildings of Wales - Pembrokeshire. London: Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 475-6.
  8. ↑ Biddle, G. Britain's Historic Railway Buildings. Oxford: Oxford University Pressm 2003, p. 593.
  9. ↑ Parker, p.250.
  10. ↑ Tenby station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 6 April 2017
  11. ↑ GB eNRT 2016-17 Edition, Table 128
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Saundersfoot   Transport for Wales
West Wales line		   Penally
Saundersfoot   Great Western Railway
London - Pembroke		   Penally

Coordinates: 51°40′21″N 4°42′24″W / 51.67250°N 4.70667°W / 51.67250; -4.70667

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