Bow Street railway station

Bow Street
National Rail
General information
LocationBow Street, Ceredigion
Wales
Coordinates52°26′24″N 4°01′49″W / 52.4399137°N 4.0303603°W / 52.4399137; -4.0303603
Grid referenceSN620843
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
Station codeBOW
History
Original companyAberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-groupingCambrian Railways
Post-grouping
Key dates
23 June 1864Opened
14 June 1965Closed
14 February 2021Resited and reopened
Passengers
2020/21  306
2021/22Increase 13,694
2022/23Increase 23,282
2023/24Increase 28,582
Location
Bow Street is located in Ceredigion
Bow Street
Bow Street
Location in Ceredigion, Wales
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Bow Street is a railway station on the Cambrian Line, which runs between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth or Pwllheli. The station, situated 4 miles 30 chains (7 km) north-east of Aberystwyth, serves the villages of Bow Street and Pen-y-garn in Ceredigion, Wales. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Transport for Wales.

The original station was closed on 14 June 1965. The current station was constructed on a different site, just south of the original. Funded by the Welsh Government and the Department for Transport, it opened on 14 February 2021.[1][2][3]

History

Original station

The original station, as photographed in June 1962.

The station was opened on 14 June 1864 by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway, following the opening of the section of line between Borth and Aberystwyth.[4][5]

Between 1934 and 1939, the station was host to a Great Western Railway camping coach.[6] A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region between 1952 and 1957, with two coaches situated here in both 1958 and 1959.[7]

The station was closed on 14 June 1965, as part of the Beeching Axe.[4]

Reopening

The Welsh Government commissioned a study into the reopening of the station in 2015.[8] In December 2016 the Welsh Government made an application to the UK Government for £4 million towards the reopening of the station at a site south of the original station, which was then occupied by a builders' merchants.[9][10] The new plans included facilities for a 110 capacity car park, bicycle storage and a bus and coach interchange.[11]

In July 2017, it was announced that the station had been approved funding from the Department for Transport.[12] Work was expected to start on the new station in early November 2018 and finishing by March 2020 – at a cost of £7.95 million.[13] However, in August 2019 it was revealed that Transport for Wales was having to put in another plan for the car parking facilities to Ceredigion County Council, after Natural Resources Wales raised concerns about potential flooding risks.[citation needed]

Planning permission for the new station was granted in September 2019, with work having commenced by January 2020.[14][15] Work was expected to be completed by summer 2020, but further delays were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as drainage issues.[16] Groundwork on the station was completed by December 2020, and the station was reopened on 14 February 2021.[1][2][3]

Services

As of the December 2021 timetable change, the station is served by a two-hourly service between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, with some trains extending to Shrewsbury or Birmingham International.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Transport for Wales Rail
  Historical railways  
Aberystwyth
Line and station open 		  Cambrian Railways
Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway 		  Llandre
Line open, station closed

References

  1. ^ a b "First train stops at newly opened Bow Street station". Cambrian News. 14 February 2021. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Embury-Dennis, Tom (15 February 2021). "Village welcomes first train in 56 years as new station opens". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Shuttleworth, Peter (15 February 2021). "Station reopening at Bow Street brings first trains for 56 years". BBC News. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 93. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  5. ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
  6. ^ McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 31. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  7. ^ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 112. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  8. ^ "Study into opening new Bow Street rail station". BBC News. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Funding hopes for Bow Street Aberystwyth railway station". BBC News. 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  10. ^ "New railway station near Aberystwyth 'would boost economy'". BBC News. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  11. ^ Spencer, Caleb (15 July 2016). "Plans for new Bow Street railway station unveiled". Aberystwyth Today. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  12. ^ "New station boost for passengers thanks to £16 million government investment". UK Government (Department for Transport). 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Work on Bow Street transport hub to start next month". Cambrian News. 24 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  14. ^ Gedge, Antony (15 October 2019). "Station 'will help cut car usage and support development of businesses'". Cambrian News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Work on £8m railway station at Bow Street gets under way". BBC News. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  16. ^ Davies, Dylan (3 September 2020). "New railway station expected to be completed by the end of the year". Cambrian News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2020.