Carmarthen railway station

Infobox UK station
name=Carmarthen

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caption = 71000 Duke of Gloucester at Carmarthen station, 26 May 2007
caption=71000 Duke of Gloucester at Carmarthen station, 26 May 2007
other_name=Caerfyrddin
code=CMN
manager=Arriva Trains Wales
locale=Carmarthen
borough=Carmarthenshire
platforms=2
start=
usage0405 = 0.289
usage0506 = 0.294
usage0607 = 0.323

Carmarthen railway station is the original station situated south of the river on the edge of Carmarthen. The station and the now demolished main station the other side of the river primarily existed to serve the now closed route up the coast from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth via Lampeter. As a result, trains calling into the station take a very short detour off the main line up to the now terminus station before turning around and leaving from the same end.

Also the so-called Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway ran from the station, but in spite of its name it only was constructed as far as Newcastle Emlyn, Cardigan being served instead by the winding Whitland and Cardigan Branch Line from Whitland, the primary junction in Pembrokeshire.

The station has two remaining platforms. Almost all services use platform 1 which has a full set of canopies, toilets and facilities. The bare platform 2 is the other side of the reversing loop and only used as overflow and for storage of trains overnight. Almost uniquely for a British mainline station (though examples exist on quiet branches) access to platform 2 is across the tracks at the end of the reversing loop. The other platform and sidings are no longer used and waiting removal. With the replacement of locomotive hauled services by DMU units and High Speed Trains the reversing loop is only very rarely used by special services such as the Royal Train.

The requirement for trains to turn around limits train length and also prevents services making a short stop at Carmarthen. Plans now exist to replace the station (which is on what is now valuable land in the new development) with a new station directly on the main line.

Historically the line to the Cambrian Coast continued through the station into a main station on the other side of the river (now a builders yard) and out along a bank which is now the bed of the main road out to Bronwydd Arms. At Abergwili junction the railway trackbed resumes and is owned by the Gwili Railway which runs preserved trains up the old Lampeter line as far as Danycoed.

External links

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