In conjunction with building the East Breakwater, a new 2 mi (3.2 km) railway would be built to connect to the liner terminal with the West Wales line. The line, which would bypass the steeper gradients and curves on this part of the original line, would have a deep cutting, embankments and two tunnels. However, within two years, the project to build the breakwater and ocean-going terminal was abandoned after it became clear silting (which could not be prevented by dredging) would prevent large ocean-going ships from ever using the port. The East Breakwater was left unfinished. Although two sections of the new railway to the proposed port terminal were completed before the project ended, they were abandoned and never used. Rail traffic would continue to use the original route to Goodwick.[2]
Despite being unable to complete the project as envisaged, the GWR still wanted to create a new port. The 900 m (3,000 ft) North Breakwater was created in deeper water by quarrying stone from the headland at Goodwick. The quarried-out area became the new quay and terminus for the West Wales line. On 30 August 1906, Fishguard harbour station was officially opened when the Waterford and Cork ferry services were transferred from Neyland to Fishguard Harbour.[3]
Three years later, the first Cunard liner to call at Fishguard was the RMS Mauretania on 30 August 1909.[4] However, passengers had to be transferred ashore to the waiting London train by tender due to the shallowness of the harbour.[5]
Current facilities
The station is not owned by Network Rail,[6] but by Stena Line. A large part of the station is contained within the port building, where there are seating and toilets. However, there are no railway ticket machines, and the station is staffed only by Stena Line personnel; no rail staff are employed there. This means there is no rail ticket office. Most passengers using the station have SailRail tickets issued at Rosslare Europort or another station in Ireland. Other passengers travelling from Fishguard by train must purchase their tickets on board their train, at a different station, or in advance by post. The station has step-free access throughout and the station's owners, Stena Line, permit smoking on the platform.[7] The station also has both long and short stay parking. The minimum connection time from Fishguard Harbour[clarification needed][to where?] is seven minutes, and when bus replacement services are operating, the buses leave from the car park adjacent to the level crossing.
The station from the south in 2022 with the run-around loop removed.
After the ban on smoking in public became law in Wales in April 2007, the station became the only one in the UK where it was still permitted. Stena Line allowed passengers to continue to smoke on the platform because it was deemed too dangerous for them to smoke at the nearest point where it was technically permissible: a level crossing over a busy road. Smoking is banned at all stations operated by Network Rail.[7]
Rail services
Since the station is located in the harbour, its primary purpose has always been providing links with sea going transport. As such, there have always been daily services to and from Fishguard Harbour which coincide with the ferry services to Rosslare in Ireland.
Historic services
1949
There were two night-time express trains that ran daily to and from London Paddington.
All the services serving the other stations on the branch were withdrawn on 6 April 1964, leaving the station served by boat trains only.[8] This was during the Beeching cuts period.
Since that date the only scheduled passenger services have been the boat trains.
In recent years these have been one night service and one day service all year round, despite the summer-only fast ferry. At one stage the night service was formed of an InterCity 125 train running direct to/from London Paddington. The daytime service was the same, although perhaps for only part of the year. British Rail, and later First Great Western and its predecessor Great Western Trains all operated InterCity 125 services to Fishguard Harbour.
In 2000, the night service was still operated by First Great Western (using InterCity 125s) but the daytime train was operated by Wales & West, meaning there were no longer any daytime through services to Paddington.[9]
Wales & West's services were transferred to Wales & Borders when Wales & West was split up.
May 2003 to September 2003
In 2003 the remaining First Great Western Fishguard services were withdrawn when the franchise was taken over by Wales & Borders. This ended almost a century of direct services to or from London Paddington. However, through services to and from other stations were added to the timetable.
The night-time train started from London Waterloo every-day, connecting with Eurostar continental services, with the train arriving at 02.38 Tuesday to Saturday mornings, and 01.00 Sunday and Monday mornings. Because of this later arrival on Tuesday to Saturday, this arriving service ran empty to Carmarthen rather than form a return journey.
The night-time train went to Liverpool Lime Street on Monday to Saturdays and Bristol Temple Meads on Sundays, leaving each day at 01.50. On Tuesday to Saturdays, this was formed of empty stock run from Carmarthen, whereas on Sundays and Mondays, it was formed of the incoming train from Waterloo.
On Monday to Fridays, the day-time train started from Cardiff Central between 30 June and 5 September, not stopping Swansea and Carmarthen stations. Before and after these dates, the train started from Swansea and also called at Carmarthen.
On Saturdays, the daytime train went to and from Rhymney
On Sundays, the daytime train started at Newport, and went only as far as Carmarthen although it offered a 5- to 10-minute connection at Carmarthen for London-bound trains.
A daytime train operated to and from Cardiff Central, arriving and leaving Fishguard Harbour between 1pm and 2pm, often starting from and/or terminating at stations beyond Cardiff, such as Birmingham New Street in 2003.
In 2010 and 2011 the service started from Cardiff and called only at Llanelli and Whitland en route to Fishguard Harbour, making it the only scheduled passenger service to use the Carmarthen avoider line. On the return, the train called at Carmarthen as well as Whitland and Llanelli before reaching Cardiff Central, the train then continued onwards to Cheltenham Spa.
These daytime services therefore avoided Swansea in both directions. This is normally achieved using the Swansea District Line, but occasionally the service was routed via the "Swansea Avoiding Line" around the back of Landore Train Maintenance Depot instead.
A daily train operated at night, arriving and leaving Fishguard Harbour between 1am and 2am.
The train operated to and from Swansea, but sometimes originated from stations beyond Swansea.
As maintenance of the railways is predominantly done at night, this train was frequently replaced by buses. This was normally known well in advance. When buses replace the trains, the bus usually arrived at Fishguard Harbour at around 02.05 and left after loading/unloading passengers, normally around 02.10.
From September 2011 to May 2017
All services were operated by Arriva Trains Wales. The level of service was greatly enhanced from 12 September 2011 when five extra services per day in each direction commenced running to and from Fishguard Harbour Mondays to Saturdays. The five extra services are as follows:[10]
Outbound
Two trips to Clarbeston Road, with connections to stations further afield
The other was later extended to start from Gloucester
Two trips from Clarbeston Road to Fishguard, one of which forms a connection out of a train from Manchester via Cardiff and Swansea (the other has no connection from further east)
These are provided on a trial basis until September 2014 and are in addition to the two daily 'boat-trains', one at lunch time and one in the dead of night, which provide the traditional ferry connections.
The extra services are the first regular timetabled services to Fishguard Harbour that have not been provided solely for connection with ferries since local services were withdrawn in 1964. Since the additional services only run Monday to Saturday, only the two trains connecting with ferry services serve the station on a Sunday.
The decision to introduce additional trains has been credited to two teenagers from Moylegrove who collected a 1,440 signature petition in support of the move.[11] A consultation was held in May/June 2011 on the planned services, but did not result in much adjustment to the times. The additional trains for Fishguard initiative has guaranteed funding until 2014, during which a review will be carried out to identify demand and passenger numbers and future funding. The extra services, with trains to and from Cardiff and Clarbeston Road, are not quite what was expected when the Welsh Assembly Government announced it would be funding up to £1.4m annually to provide extra services between Carmarthen and Fishguard.[12]
2017
The ferry sailing schedule was significantly revised in May 2017 resulting in changes to the train times. As a result, there are no longer trains during the night and the 01.50 departure is discontinued. From May 2018 it was proposed to extend the 19.30 from Manchester to Carmarthen to Fishguard Harbour, returning at 02.37 to Carmarthen, with an equivalent bus replacement in the early hours of Sunday.[13]
2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, services on the Fishguard branch were reduced. As of August 2021, there were two daily departures from Mondays to Saturdays - one at midday, and one in the late evening. Both services ran to Carmarthen, with the midday service continuing to Cardiff Central.
On Sundays, there was an increased service of three trains per day. The additional mid-afternoon service ran to Swansea.[14]
c.2022 onward
As of 2024, the Fishguard branch has six services from Mondays to Saturdays and three services on Sundays. One service terminates at Clarbeston Road, connecting with the Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly train, and the others continue to Carmarthen, Swansea or Cardiff Central. Since the ferry timetable changed in Summer 2023 there is no longer a rail connection off the evening ferry arrival; the train departs before the ferry arrives.[15]
Due to the temporary closure of the Port of Holyhead a temporary ferry route is being operated from Fishguard to Dublin.
The nearest railway station to Dublin Port is Dublin Connolly and can be accessed via Ferrylink bus from the terminal or Dublin Bus route 53 from an adjacent bus stop a minute's walk from the Stena Line terminal at Dublin Port.
* In addition to the Enterprise inter-city service. Newry also has a limited week-day commuter service all stations to Dublin, provided by Iarnród Éireann.
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