Port Talbot Parkway

Welsh: Parcffordd Port Talbot
National Rail
General information
LocationPort Talbot, Neath Port Talbot
Wales
Coordinates51°35′31″N 3°46′52″W / 51.592°N 3.781°W / 51.592; -3.781
Grid referenceSS766896
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePTA
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original companySouth Wales Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
19 June 1850 (1850-06-19)Station opened as Port Talbot
5 June 1897Renamed Port Talbot and Aberavon
1 July 1924Renamed Port Talbot General
April 1947Renamed Port Talbot
3 December 1984Renamed Port Talbot Parkway
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.536 million
2019/20Increase 0.545 million
2020/21Decrease 0.129 million
2021/22Increase 0.388 million
2022/23Increase 0.472 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Port Talbot Parkway railway station is a railway station in Port Talbot, Wales. The station is located at street level near Station Road in Port Talbot town centre. It is 202 miles 59 chains (326 km) from London Paddington (via Stroud).[1]

History

Early history

Down Pembroke Coast Express in 1962
The former station building and footbridge in March 2012

The first section of the South Wales Railway, between Chepstow and Swansea, which included the station originally named Port Talbot, opened either on 18 June 1850,[2] or on 19 June 1850.[3] The station was renamed several times: to Port Talbot and Aberavon on 5 June 1897; to Port Talbot General on 1 July 1924[3] (the suffix distinguishing it from other stations in Port Talbot),[4] later reverting to the original Port Talbot in April 1947, finally becoming Port Talbot Parkway on 3 December 1984.[3]

While it now bears the title Parkway, it is not a parkway station per se. It was named Parkway in the 1980s by British Rail when the old goods shed and yard were converted to a large car park, with freight handling moved to Margam Knuckle Yard, to encourage patronage of eastbound commuters from the Neath and Swansea Valley areas. The idea was that overall travel time could be saved by catching the train at Port Talbot instead of Neath or Swansea because of the low line speed west of Port Talbot and the limited parking at the other two stations.

There were originally two stations near to the current site, one of which was Aberavon Town, which was on the old Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway route and the other being the nearby terminus of the Port Talbot Railway named Port Talbot Central.

21st century redevelopment

Aerial view of the new footbridge during construction work (May 2016)
A transport interchange formed part of the redevelopment of the station

Tesco planned to vacate its current store site near the Aberafan Centre and build a new store beside the station featuring a superstore, petrol station and car park. However this was rejected by the local council and the land remains undeveloped.[5]

The resignalling activity in the Port Talbot area during 2006/2007 has provided a new signalled turnback facility in both directions. There are proposals for the present Transport for Wales' Swanline service, which has one train every two hours between Swansea and Cardiff Central service, to be altered to a service which terminates at Port Talbot Parkway and operate on an hourly basis between Swansea and Port Talbot Parkway.[6]

The council announced in early 2011 the plans for a new ticket office and platform bridge at the station, including a lift for disabled access and a 200 space car-park.

Redevelopment work on the station began in May 2014 and was completed in late 2016, at a cost of £11 million.[7]

Facilities

The station is of the island type and has 2 platforms:

The ticket office is open seven days per week, with a self-service ticket machine provided for use and collecting advance purchase tickets. A waiting room and toilets are located on the platform, with the platform and ticket hall linked by a fully accessible footbridge with lifts (installed in 2016). Train running information is offered via CIS displays, automatic announcements and timetable posters.[8]

Services

The station is served by both Great Western Railway main line services between London Paddington and Swansea (hourly each way with peak extras) and Transport for Wales regional trains between Milford Haven/Carmarthen and Manchester Piccadilly via Cardiff Central, Newport and Shrewsbury (also hourly), plus the two-hourly Swansea to Cardiff stopping trains.[9]

On Sundays the London - Swansea Great Western Railway service runs hourly with a two hourly service extended to Carmarthen. Transport for Wales Milford Haven/Carmarthen - Manchester Piccadilly services are hourly .

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Pyle   Transport for Wales
Swanline		   Baglan
Bridgend   Transport for Wales
South Wales Main Line		   Neath
Bridgend   Transport for Wales
Swansea District Line		   Llanelli
Bridgend   Great Western Railway
London - Swansea		   Neath

References

  1. ↑ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 22C. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
  2. ↑ MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway. pp. 303, 563.
  3. 1 2 3 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ↑ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Western's last "General"". Railway Magazine. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. 120 (879): 361. ISSN 0033-8923.
  5. ↑ Store will revitalise town not harm it, Tesco insists - Wales Online
  6. ↑ "Wales Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  7. ↑ "Port Talbot Parkway station footbridge opens" Network Rail Media Centre press release 28 February 2016; Retrieved 21 July 2017
  8. ↑ Port Talbot station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  9. ↑ Table 125 & 128 National Rail timetable, May 2017

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