Port Talbot Parkway railway station
Encyclopedia
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.
as Port Talbot General (the suffix distinguishing it from other stations in Port Talbot), later becoming known as just Port Talbot (probably at the time it was rebuilt in the late 1960s or early 1970s to an island type station).
While it now bears the title Parkway, it is not a Parkway station per se. It was named Parkway in the 1980s 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 Aberafan 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.
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. 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 Arriva Trains 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.
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. The work is expected to be finished in 2014.
On Sundays the London - Swansea service runs hourly and the Milford Haven/Carmarthen - Manchester trains run every two hours.
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, 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...
. The station is located at street level near Station Road in Port Talbot town centre.
History
It was opened by the Great Western RailwayGreat 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...
as Port Talbot General (the suffix distinguishing it from other stations in Port Talbot), later becoming known as just Port Talbot (probably at the time it was rebuilt in the late 1960s or early 1970s to an island type station).
While it now bears the title Parkway, it is not a Parkway station per se. It was named Parkway in the 1980s when the old goods shed and yard were converted to a large car park, with freight handling moved to Margam Knuckle Yard
Margam Knuckle Yard
Margam Knuckle Yard is a railway yard in Margam, South Wales, on the South Wales Main Line, operated by DB Schenker Rail . The yard is the major freight yard of the region, handling all of the rail freight movements from Port Talbot Steelworks, and most of the railfreight traffic around South...
, to encourage patronage of eastbound commuters from the Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
and Swansea Valley
Swansea Valley
The Swansea Valley , one of the South Wales Valleys is the name often given to the valley of the River Tawe area in South Wales, UK. It reaches southwest and south from the Brecon Beacons National Park down to the city of Swansea. Today, administration of the area is divided between the City and...
areas. The idea was that overall travel time could be saved by catching the train at Port Talbot instead of Neath or Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
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 Aberafan Town, which was on the old Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
The Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway connected the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley to the Swansea Bay ports.Connecting with the Taff Vale Railway at Treherbert, it had branches to Aberavon and Port Talbot docks. It was later extended to Swansea and a branch to Neath was added, bringing the total...
route and the other being the nearby terminus of the Port Talbot Railway named Port Talbot Central.
Facilities
The station is of the island type and has 2 platforms:- Platform 1, for westbound trains towards SwanseaSwansea railway stationSwansea railway station is a railway station that serves Swansea, Wales. The station is one of four in the City and County of Swansea and is the fourth busiest in Wales after Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street and Newport.-History:...
and West Wales. - Platform 2, for eastbound trains towards Cardiff CentralCardiff central stationCardiff Central Station can refer to:*Cardiff Central railway station*Cardiff central bus station...
, Newport, London PaddingtonPaddington stationPaddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
and Manchester PiccadillyManchester Piccadilly stationManchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
Future plans
TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
planned to vacate its current store site near the Aberafan Centre
Aberafan Centre
The Aberafan Shopping Centre is the only indoor shopping complex in Port Talbot, Wales.The shopping complex, which has a floorspace of and was refurbished in the late 1990s, comprises over sixty stores on two levels and houses the central library for Port Talbot. Where the library is situated...
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. 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 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...
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.
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. The work is expected to be finished in 2014.
Services
The station is served by both First Great Western main line services between London Paddington and Swansea (hourly each way with peak extras) and ATW regional trains between Milford Haven/Carmarthen and Manchester Piccadilly via Cardiff, Newport and Shrewsbury (also hourly), plus the two-hourly Swansea to Cardiff stopping trains.On Sundays the London - Swansea service runs hourly and the Milford Haven/Carmarthen - Manchester trains run every two hours.