Llandeilo
National Rail
General information
LocationLlandeilo, Carmarthenshire
Wales
Coordinates51°53′06″N 3°59′13″W / 51.885°N 3.987°W / 51.885; -3.987
Grid referenceSN633226
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeLLL
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Opened1857
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 19,280
2019/20Increase 19,324
2020/21Decrease 576
2021/22Increase 7,932
2022/23Increase 11,078
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Llandeilo railway station (formerly Llandilo Junction for the Carmarthen Line) serves the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. The station is 30+3⁄4 miles (49 km) north east of Swansea on the Heart of Wales Line.

The station is located below the eastern side of the town beside the River Tywi. Dinefwr Castle is within walking distance. All trains serving the station are operated by Transport for Wales.

History

The station was built by the Llanelly Railway, who reached the town from the Llanelli direction in January 1857.[1] An extension to Llandovery was constructed by the subsidiary Vale of Towy Railway (opening in 1858), whilst the branch line to Carmarthen followed in 1864–65 and a direct line to Swansea Victoria along the Gower Peninsula in 1866–/67. The following year saw the Central Wales Extension Railway reach Llandovery, putting Llandeilo on a through route to Craven Arms but also giving the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) access to the Llanelly company's territory and lines through a new joint lease of the VoTR. The LNWR took full advantage of this and by 1873 had secured full access to & control of the Swansea and Carmarthen routes, leaving the Llanelly Railway with only half its peak track mileage and in such a poor financial position that it was forced to lease its remaining lines to the Great Western Railway the same year. Thereafter the LNWR became the main passenger operator, with the Great Western running just a few trains between Llanelli and Llandovery.

In its heyday, the station had four platforms, used by trains for the Heart of Wales line as well as trains from Carmarthen via the Llandeilo – Abergwili Junction branch line (closed in 1963). The direct line to Swansea Victoria closed in 1964, with the surviving passenger trains diverted via the old Llanelly Railway main line south of Pontarddulais and the West Wales Line to reach Swansea.

Llandeilo railway station (February 2007)

The station building has been demolished, and between 2008 and the spring of 2010 only one platform was in use as the passing loop here had been temporarily locked out of use due to a lack of spare parts for the (obsolete) point machines. The second (southbound) platform was reinstated in May 2010[2] along with the loop following the replacement of the points at both ends with new electrically worked units. (All five loops were treated as part of a renewal programme costing over £4 million.)

Facilities

The station is unstaffed (so tickets must be purchased on the train) and has only basic amenities - waiting shelters, timetable poster boards and digital CIS screens on each side, along with a customer help point on platform 2. Access for disabled passengers is limited, due to the barrow crossing linking the platforms and steep access ramps.[3]

Services

There are five trains a day in each direction southbound to Swansea and northbound to Shrewsbury from Monday to Saturday; two more services run to Llandovery and back to Swansea in the a.m peak (except Saturdays) and the late evening.[4] The facility to pass northbound and southbound trains is used once each early weekday morning. Two trains each way call on Sundays.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Ffairfach   Transport for Wales
Heart of Wales Line		   Llangadog
Disused railways
Llandilo Bridge
Line and station closed		   London and North Western Railway
Llanelly Railway		   Talley Road Halt
Line open, station closed

Notes

  1. ↑ Journal of Transport Ticket Society- September 2017 page 331
  2. ↑ News From The Heart of Wales - Llandeilo Passing Loop Reopened Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine Heart of Wales Line Forum website; Retrieved 2010-05-20
  3. ↑ Llandeilo station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 7 April 2017
  4. ↑ Table 130 National Rail timetable, May 2023

Further reading

  • Organ, John (2008). Mitchell, Vic (ed.). Craven Arms to Llandeilo. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 117-120. ISBN 9781906008352. OCLC 648080889.

Media related to Llandeilo railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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