Dovey Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
Dovey Junction railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line
in Wales
. It is the junction
where the line splits into the line to Aberystwyth
and the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
.
Allowing for the inclusion of outlying buildings and signals, it is routinely claimed that Dovey Junction lies at the intersection of three counties, these being the traditional Welsh counties of Meirionydd, Montgomery
and Ceredigion
.
The station is in the midst of the large Dyfi National Nature Reserve
, near to the Cardigan Bay
coast. There is no settlement here but, contrary to common belief, it is not completely isolated: the three-quarter mile station path provides passenger access to and from the tiny village of Glandyfi
.
The station has been rebuilt twice in recent years, the original Great Western Railway
buildings first being replaced at some point in the 1970s by a flat roofed station building. This building was subsequently replaced in the 1990s by a simple bus shelter, having fallen into a state of disrepair and being far larger than required at this remote location.
The station platforms were raised in 2008 in conjunction with raising of the tracks, to reduce the likelihood of closure of this section of line due to flooding. The work is part of a major programme of work on the Cambrian Line, including ERTMS signalling to replace the existing RETB system and an extended (dynamic) passing loop
at Welshpool to permit running an hourly service from Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth from 2011.
Dovey Junction is often quoted as a defining feature of the Great Western Railway in Wales, namely its inheritance of junctions in unlikely and inconvenient locations. Other examples are Moat Lane Junction
, Talyllyn Junction
, Afon Wen
and Barmouth Junction (renamed Morfa Mawddach
in 1960).
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is the junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
where the line splits into the line to Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
.
Allowing for the inclusion of outlying buildings and signals, it is routinely claimed that Dovey Junction lies at the intersection of three counties, these being the traditional Welsh counties of Meirionydd, Montgomery
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
and Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
.
The station is in the midst of the large Dyfi National Nature Reserve
Dyfi National Nature Reserve
The Dyfi National Nature Reserve, managed by The Countryside Council for Wales, is located north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion, Waleson the Dyfi estuary.The area was designated as a Nature Reserve in 1969 and consists of three separate areas:...
, near to the Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
coast. There is no settlement here but, contrary to common belief, it is not completely isolated: the three-quarter mile station path provides passenger access to and from the tiny village of Glandyfi
Glandyfi
Glandyfi is a small hamlet in the county of Ceredigion in Wales on the A487 trunk road from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth....
.
The station has been rebuilt twice in recent years, the original Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
buildings first being replaced at some point in the 1970s by a flat roofed station building. This building was subsequently replaced in the 1990s by a simple bus shelter, having fallen into a state of disrepair and being far larger than required at this remote location.
The station platforms were raised in 2008 in conjunction with raising of the tracks, to reduce the likelihood of closure of this section of line due to flooding. The work is part of a major programme of work on the Cambrian Line, including ERTMS signalling to replace the existing RETB system and an extended (dynamic) passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
at Welshpool to permit running an hourly service from Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth from 2011.
Dovey Junction is often quoted as a defining feature of the Great Western Railway in Wales, namely its inheritance of junctions in unlikely and inconvenient locations. Other examples are Moat Lane Junction
Moat Lane Junction
Moat Lane Junction was a railway junction in Montgomeryshire near to the village of Caersws in mid-Wales. It was the junction where the Newtown and Machynlleth railway opened in 1863 diverged from the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway which opened four years earlier...
, Talyllyn Junction
Talyllyn Junction
Talyllyn Junction was a railway junction located 4 miles east of Brecon, Powys, opened in 1863. The junction was triangular, with north, east and west chords, station platforms being sited at the western junction and also, until 1878, at the eastern junction...
, Afon Wen
Afon Wen railway station
Afon Wen was a railway station located in Afon Wen, Gwynedd.The station formed a junction between the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway and the Carnarvonshire Railway.- History :...
and Barmouth Junction (renamed Morfa Mawddach
Morfa Mawddach railway station
Morfa Mawddach railway station, formerly Barmouth Junction, is in Gwynedd, Wales, on the Cambrian Coast Railway between and at its junction with the Dolgelley branch of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line which closed in 1965.- Background :North of Morfa...
in 1960).