Caersws railway station

Caersws railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Caersws. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Machynlleth, the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales.^[3]

Caersws Welsh: Caersŵs
General information
Location	Caersws, Powys Wales
Coordinates	52.516°N 3.433°W / 52.516; -3.433
Grid reference	SO028918
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	CWS
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	3 January 1863[1]
Original company	Newtown and Machynlleth Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways
Passengers
2018/19	60,626
2019/20	59,274
2020/21	13,196
2021/22	31,398
2022/23	42,500
Listed Building – Grade II
Feature	Caersws railway station, with stationmaster’s house
Designated	28 August 1991
Reference no.	8697[2]
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway of the Cambrian Railways in the 1863. Originally there was a passing loop, a goods shed, a water tower and a ticket office and a signal box - the latter remained in use until March 2011 as a gate box to supervise the station level crossing (this is now operated from Machynlleth).

The station was threatened with closure in 1964 along with all of the other wayside stops on the former Cambrian main line (as a consequence of the Beeching cuts), but reprieved by the Minister of Transport Tom Fraser in December that year to act as the notional railhead for the town of Llanidloes (following the demise of the Mid-Wales Railway that served it directly).^[4]

In February 2013, Caersws station won the "Wales’ Best Unstaffed Train Station" award, supported by Keep Wales Tidy.^[5]

Facilities

Though unstaffed, the station has a ticket machine installed. Train running information is offered via CIS displays, automated announcements, timetable poster boards and a customer help point. There is also payphone available.^[6] Step-free access is available from the entrance to the platform.

Services

There is a basic two-hourly service in each direction Mon-Sat, with some additional services in the morning and evening (most of which run between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth only). Sundays also run every two hours, though there is only a limited service (one in winter, three in summer) along the Cambrian Coast line to Pwllheli.^[7][8]

Van Railway

An independent railway the Van Railway started /terminated at Caersws serving lead mines ran from 1871 until 1940. There was a separate station and yard about 100 yards south west of the Cambrian Railway station. Passenger services operated from 1873 until 1879.

The notable Welsh romantic poet John Ceiriog Hughes was employed as a station master and Manager of the Van Railway at Caersws railway station from 1868 until his death in 1887.^[9]

After closure the station building was sold and was used by various companies as offices. In 2024 the station building was still standing with a portion of the platform.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Newtown		Transport for Wales Cambrian Line		Machynlleth
	Disused railways
Pontdolgoch Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway Newtown and Machynlleth Railway		Moat Lane Junction Line open, station closed
Red House Line and station closed		Van Railway		Terminus

Gallery

• 
  Bilingual sign at Caersws station in the early 2000s
• 
  Caersws station in the early 2000s
• 
  Caersws station in September 2009
• 
  Ticket machine and station building (2015)
• 
  Caersws station and signal box (2015)

References

1. Butt 1995, p. 51.
2. Cadw. "Caersws railway station, with stationmaster's house (8697)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
3. "Support to re-open Carno railway station". BBC News. 6 January 2016.
4. Disused Stations - Montgomery Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 31 July 2017
5. http://www.keepwalestidy.org/10408%5B%5D
6. Caersws station facilities National Rail Enquiries
7. Arriva Trains Wales Timetables Archived 29 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6 May 2016
8. Table 76 National Rail timetable, May 2017
9. C P Gasquoine (1973). The Story of the Cambrian. Christopher Davies Ltd.

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.

External links

Media related to Caersws railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Caersws railway station from National Rail