Milford Haven railway station
General information | |
---|---|
Location | Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire Wales |
Coordinates | 51°42′54″N 5°02′28″W / 51.715°N 5.041°W |
Grid reference | SM900062 |
Managed by | Transport for Wales |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | MFH |
Classification | DfT category F1 |
History | |
Opened | 7 September 1863 |
Key dates | |
7 September 1863 | Opened as Milford |
1902 | Renamed Old Milford |
1910 | Renamed Milford Haven |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 58,596 |
2019/20 | 52,014 |
2020/21 | 8,118 |
2021/22 | 37,336 |
2022/23 | 46,158 |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Milford Haven railway station serves the town of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Opened on 7 September 1863, it was originally known as Milford, becoming Old Milford by January 1902, and finally being renamed Milford Haven by April 1910.[1] It is the westernmost railway station in Wales, but not in Great Britain as some stations in England and Scotland are further west.
History
The first links to a railway to Milford Haven came through the completion of the South Wales Railway in 1856. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had a vision of connecting London to New York City via a railway through Wales and then to a commuter port. The initial plan was to terminate the line at Fishguard and to create a ferry service to Ireland. The failure to complete Irish rail links meant that the terminus was modified to a location on the Milford Haven waterway. 1854 saw track reach Haverfordwest, at which point a decision had to be made as to the terminus. New Milford at Neyland was selected, in spite of opposition from Greville, and was completed in April 1856.[2] As a result, Greville determined to finance a project himself which would see the railway come to Milford Haven under the Milford Junction Railway, a four-mile spur from Johnston. Construction began in August 1856 and lasted five years, finally completed in 1863,[3] when the line was connected to the South Wales Railway at Johnston, and a station at Milford was opened.[2] The line was, and remains, single track, but sufficient room was allowed in cuttings and under bridges for doubling the track if required.[4] The opportunity to provide a rival to the South Wales Railway by using Milford as a terminus to the Manchester and Milford Railway was also explored at this time.[2]
Excavation work was necessary to provide an embankment upon which the approaching track could be laid skirting the shoreline of Hubberston Pill. Public services commenced 7 September 1863. Further track was laid towards the recently constructed docks complex in 1875. A spur to Newton Noyes, known as the 'Estate Line', was completed in 1882. It connected with a pier, which was reached via a lifting bridge at Castle Pill; the junction with the Milford line opposite the station.[5][6] This development highlighted Milford station's less than favorable location, although equidistant between the two major populations of Milford and Hakin, it was at a distance from the quayside and with no discernible pedestrian access. To rectify the issue, the short-lived Hakin Dock Station was constructed in 1898.[5]
The original station was modest, with four sidings and a single platform, plus additional run around facilities sandwiched between the hillside and Hubberston Pill.
Milford Haven Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Up until 1947, three daily 'vacuum fish' express services transported fish from the Haven to various destinations in the UK, including
Services
The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by
In 2008, the Wales Route Utilisation Strategy identified the requirement for an hourly frequency on the core route into west Wales between Swansea and Milford Haven.[16]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Johnston | West Wales line
|
Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Johnston Line and station open |
Great Western Railway Milford Railway |
Hakin Docks Line and station closed | ||
Johnston Line and station open |
Great Western Railway Milford Railway |
Newton Noyes Line and station closed |
Historical
Until July 1994,
Facilities
Waiting facilities include a covered shelter, as the original station building has been demolished. A free carpark is located opposite the platform, with capacity for 15 vehicles. An independent ticket office operates from a site on the station. The station is staffed on a part-time basis.[17] Train running details are offered via timetable posters, a customer help point and digital information screens. Step-free access is available from the main entrance and car park to the platform.
A commemorative stone and plaque was unveiled in September 2013 on the site of the former station building to mark the 150th anniversary.[18]
References
- ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9515212-0-5
- ^ James Frederick Rees The Story of Milford, University of Wales Press, 1954 ASIN B000MYZBCQ
- ^ Milford’s Railway: 150 years old Archived 8 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Pembrokeshire Rail Travellers Association, Article: Newsletter 100: April 2013, Gale, John, retrieved 14 October 2013
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906419-07-3
- ^ "Vision of Britain Descriptive Gazetteer entry for MILFORD", Wilson, John Marius (1870-1872). Retrieved 9 October 2011
- ^ ISBN 0-9542035-3-4
- ^ laluciole.net: A history of Britain's broad gauge railways[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 30 January 2010
- ^ ISBN 978-0-946537-69-3
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906008-66-6
- ISBN 0-9529672-1-9
- ^ Intercity Magazine Network Map 1993. Retrieved 5 December 2012
- ^ Network Rail: Wales Route Archived 3 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 January 2013
- ^ Make Milford station upgrade a priority – Crabb www.stephencrabb.com Retrieved 7 October 2019
- ^ Table 128 National Rail timetable, December 2018
- ^ Wales Route Utilisation Strategy Archived 7 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Network Rail Publication, November 2008
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries – Milford Haven Station". Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ Railway Anniversary Celebrations Steaming Ahead, Western Telegraph Article, 24 August 2013
External links
Media related to Milford Haven railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Milford Haven railway station from National Rail