Pembroke railway station explained

Pembroke
Native Name:Welsh: Penfro
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.673°N -4.906°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Manager:Transport for Wales Rail
Platforms:1
Code:PMB
Classification:DfT category F1
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Pembroke railway station serves the town of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

History

On 30 July 1863, Pembroke railway station was opened by the Pembroke and Tenby Railway as the temporary terminus of the line to Tenby. The station originally consisted of small wooden buildings, with a short 150-foot platform. The following year, the line was extended to Pembroke Dock railway station.[1]

A permanent station building was constructed later, built from dressed limestone with a slate roof and three ornamental chimneys. The building contained five rooms; the Station Master's office, a parcels office, a booking office, a general waiting room and a ladies waiting room. Fully glazed canopies were added over the station entrance and platform in the early 1900s, following the takeover of the Pembroke and Tenby by the Great Western Railway. A new shelter was built in 1971, and the main limestone buildings were demolished. This new shelter was in turn was later replaced with a glass panelled shelter.[2]

Facilities

Step-free access is provided from both station car parks to the platform. The station is unstaffed and only has basic amenities: the aforementioned waiting shelter, timetable information posters, bench seating and digital CIS displays to offer train running information in real time.[3]

Like many stations in Wales and the North of England, the station was constructed before standard platform heights were established and is very low. In March 2016, the station received a specially designed raised section - a Harrington Hump - to improve accessibility for passengers.[4]

Services

The station is served every two hours (approximately) to/from Swansea via and Whitland on weekdays, with connections for the South Wales mainline available at Swansea. The Sunday service is limited in winter (4 trains each way), but more frequent in the summer months.

On summer Saturdays, the station is also used by Great Western Railway who provided two InterCity 125s in each direction; two to London Paddington, one from London Paddington and one early morning InterCity 125 starting its journey from Swansea. One through train in each direction is named the Pembroke Coast Express. In 2019, the service has continued running with the brand new Class 800 rolling stock.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hogg, John . A Short History of Pembroke Station . 2001 . Pembroke 21C . 2 .
  2. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4579841 "Passenger shelter and information boards on Pembroke railway station, July 2015"
  3. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/pmb/details.html Pembroke station facilities
  4. Web site: Delight after Pembroke railway station 'Hump' safety works finish.
  5. https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/17674262.south-pembrokeshire-stations-including-tenby-and-pembroke-dock-welcome-new-gwr-train/ "South Pembrokeshire stations, including Tenby and Pembroke Dock, welcome new GWR train"