Abergavenny railway station
Encyclopedia
Abergavenny railway station is situated southeast of the town centre of Abergavenny
.
and is operated by Arriva Trains Wales
. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line
line from Newport
to Hereford
.
Abergavenny
lies at the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and provides an access point to local services and public transport into the park.
, Chief Engineer of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
, it has an Italianate architecture
style.
Part of the Great Western Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923, the line then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. In 1950, the station was renamed Abergavenny Monmouth Road, and took on its simple name in 1968.
When Sectorisation
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
until the Privatisation of British Rail
ways.
was opened in 1862 starting at Abergavenny Junction station north of the current station, constructed by the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
. The line also had a station in the town called Abergavenny Brecon Road, making three stations in all.
This company was acquired by the London and North Western Railway
in 1866.
In 1958 the MT&AR passenger trains ceased and Abergavenny Junction was closed.
locomotive, number 5013, was named after Abergavenny Castle
and Cardiff Central
, with most trains continuing beyond Cardiff to Swansea
and West Wales. There is also a two-hourly service between Cardiff and the North Wales Coast Line
. These service are all operated by Arriva Trains Wales
.
Two trains per day in the early morning on weekdays to London Paddington, via Hereford
and the Cotswold Line
commenced operation in December 2007. However they were short lived, being withdrawn in December 2008; they were deemed pointless due to changing at Newport being quicker. These services were operated by First Great Western
.
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
.
Today
It is part of the British railway system owned by Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and is operated 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...
. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
line from Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
.
Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
lies at the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and provides an access point to local services and public transport into the park.
History
Designed Charles LiddellCharles Liddell
Charles Liddell , was an English railway engineer.Born in Easington, County Durham, he was the son of the Rector. A student and educated by George Stephenson, he resultantly became involved in a number of Styephenson's projects, including the Grand Junction Railway and London and Birmingham...
, Chief Engineer of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway line connecting the Welsh port city of Newport via Abergavenny, to the major English market town of Hereford.Sponsored by the LNWR, it opened on 6 December 1853...
, it has an Italianate architecture
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style.
Part of the 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...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923, the line then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on nationalisation in 1948. In 1950, the station was renamed Abergavenny Monmouth Road, and took on its simple name in 1968.
When Sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
until the Privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
ways.
Railway Town
A branch line to BrynmawrBrynmawr
Brynmawr is a market town in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys...
was opened in 1862 starting at Abergavenny Junction station north of the current station, constructed by the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was a railway company operating between 1860 and 1958 between the towns of Merthyr Tydfil, Tredegar and Abergavenny through the counties of Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire in south east Wales....
. The line also had a station in the town called Abergavenny Brecon Road, making three stations in all.
This company was acquired by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
in 1866.
In 1958 the MT&AR passenger trains ceased and Abergavenny Junction was closed.
GWR Locomotive 'Abergavenny Castle'
A GWR Castle-classGWR 4073 Class
The GWR 4073 Class or Castle class locomotives are a group of 4-6-0 steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway. They were originally designed by the railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett, for working the company's express passenger trains.-History:A development of the earlier...
locomotive, number 5013, was named after Abergavenny Castle
Abergavenny Castle
Abergavenny Castle is a castle in the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire in south east Wales.- A naturally fortified site :The castle was sited above the River Usk overlooking the river valley and the confluence of the rivers Gavenny and Usk. The site would have been naturally defensible in...
Facilities
This is a staffed station in the daytime. It has disabled access to platforms, a cafeteria and toilets plus large waiting rooms on both tracksides.Services
With a few exceptions, the weekday daytime service pattern typically sees one train per hour in each direction between Manchester PiccadillyManchester Piccadilly station
Manchester 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...
and Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
, with most trains continuing beyond Cardiff to Swansea
Swansea railway station
Swansea 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. There is also a two-hourly service between Cardiff and the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
. These service are all operated 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...
.
Two trains per day in the early morning on weekdays to London Paddington, via Hereford
Hereford railway station
Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, England. Managed by Arriva Trains Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Leominster and Abergavenny and is the western terminus of the Cotswold Line.The station has four platforms...
and the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
commenced operation in December 2007. However they were short lived, being withdrawn in December 2008; they were deemed pointless due to changing at Newport being quicker. These services were operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.