Penychain railway station
Penychain  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Penychain station in 2014 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | near Chwilog, Gwynedd Wales | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°54′11″N 4°20′20″W / 52.903°N 4.339°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SH428364 | ||||
| Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | PNC[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 31 July 1933 | Opened (as Penychain Halt) | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  640 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  2,894 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4,314 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 4,818 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 8,892 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Penychain railway station, is located by an over bridge at Pen-ychain on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. For many years the station served the large Butlins Holiday Camp at Penychain.[2] The station is on the Cambrian Line, between Abererch and Criccieth, 129 miles 29 chains (208.2 km) from Whitchurch, measured via Oswestry (the original line diverging at Welshpool).[3]
History
[edit]The station opened as Penychain Halt on 31 July 1933.[4] Butlin's built the adjacent camp in 1940 at the request of the Admiralty to serve as HMS Glendower, a Royal Navy training base at Penychain was already used as a Rifle range during WWI.[5][6] After the end of the war the Butlins camp opened,[7] and the name was changed to Penychain for Pwllheli Holiday Camp on 3 April 1947.[4] The name then chnaged to Butlins Penychain on 17 May 1993, before reverting to its current name on 18 May 2001.[4]
Between November 2013 and September 2014, services were suspended north of Harlech due to issues with construction of Pont Briwet, near Penrhyndeudraeth.[8][9] From 1 September to 1 December 2023, engineering work took place to finish restoration of the Barmouth Viaduct.[10] Rail replacement buses served stations from Pwllheli to Machynlleth.[11]
Facilities
[edit]There is a large shelter, a bench, and a live departure screen.[12] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.
Passenger volume
[edit]| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 2,996 | 2,512 | 2,719 | 2,274 | 1,896 | 2,446 | 2,394 | 3,060 | 3,252 | 3,276 | 1,716 | 3,430 | 3,540 | 4,126 | 3,554 | 3,298 | 640 | 2,894 | 4,314 | 4,818 | 8,892 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
[edit]Penychain is an unstaffed halt and request stop. There are 8 trains a day, each way to Pwllheli and Machynlleth. A limited service of 5 trains each way operates on Sundays.[14]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abererch | Transport for Wales Cambrian Coast Line |
Criccieth |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ Shannon & Hillmer 1999, p. 27.
- ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2023). Railway Track Diagrams; 3: Western & Wales (7th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. pp. .page. ISBN 978 1999627164.
- 1 2 3 Quick 2023, p. 363.
- ↑ "Map Finder - with Marker Pin - Map Images - National Library of Scotland".
- ↑ The National Archives, Kew. ADM 1/10431
- ↑ Dacre, Peter (1982). The Billy Butlin Story. Robson Books. ISBN 0-86051-864-7.
- ↑ Quick 2023, p. 561.
- ↑ "Railway line closed after work destabilises rail and road crossing in North Wales". Daily Post. 6 November 2013.
- ↑ "Restoring Barmouth Viaduct - Network Rail". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "Engineering works: Machynlleth and Harlech | National Rail". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "Penychain Station | Train Times | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 075 (Network Rail)
Bibliography
[edit]- Quick, Michael (2023). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
- Shannon, Paul; Hillmer, John (1999). North Wales (British Railways Past & Present) Part 2. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-163-1. No 36.
External links
[edit]
- Train times and station information for Penychain railway station from National Rail
- By DMU from Pwllheli to Amlwch, via Huntley Archives
