Milford Haven railway station
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Milford Haven railway station
Milford Haven  |
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| Welsh: Aberdaugleddau | |
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| Location | |
| Place | Milford Haven |
| Local authority | Pembrokeshire |
| Coordinates | 51°42′54″N 5°02′28″W / 51.715°N 5.041°WCoordinates: 51°42′54″N 5°02′28″W / 51.715°N 5.041°W |
| Grid reference | SM900062 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | MFH |
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2004/05 | 39,750 |
| 2005/06 |  40,899 |
| 2006/07 | 45,935 |
| 2007/08 | 51,559 |
| 2008/09 | 55,498 |
| 2009/10 |  54,268 |
| 2010/11 | 56,546 |
| History | |
| Opened 7 September 1863 | |
| 7 September 1863 | Opened as Milford |
| 1902 | Renamed Old Milford |
| 1910 | Renamed Milford Haven |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Milford Haven from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
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]
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Contents
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History
The first links to a railway to Milford Haven came through the completion of the South Wales Railway in 1856. Brunel had a vision of connecting London to New York 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 lasted five years, and completed in 1863, when a station at Milford was finally opened.[2] 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 both towards the pier at Newton Noyes (via a lifting bridge at Castle Pill), and to the recently built dock complex.[3] 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 discernable pedestrian access. To rectify the issue, the short-lived Hakin Dock Station was constructed.[4]
The original station was modest, with four sidings and a single platform, plus additional run around facilities sandwiched between the hillside and Hubberston Pill.[5] By 1871, services had grown to seven daily in each direction, many connecting with passenger services from New Milford at Johnston.[4] The trains using the line were operated by Great Western Railway who had part funded the original railway.[6] It initially rented use of the line, although in 1896 absorbed The Milford Railway Company.[7] In the 1930s many improvements were made, including narrowing the corse of the Pill, extra side loops and goods yards. By 1923 the Milford Station Master was re-graded as a special class post, supported by twelve booking clerks and up to ten porters.[5] Up until 1947, three daily 'vacuum fish' express services transported fish from the Haven to various destinations in the UK, including London Paddington.[7] Goods traffic remained dominant over passenger traffic until the commercial decline of the docks in the late twentieth century. [8]
Into the twentieth century, direct services to London Paddington were in operation, and a sleeper service remained in place until the 1960s.[4] High speed train services to Milford terminated in 1994.[4]
Services
The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Arriva Trains Wales
The usual service pattern is one train every two hours to Manchester Piccadilly via Carmarthen, Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff Central, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Stockport.
Journey times are approximately 2 hours 50 minutes to Cardiff Central and 6 hours to Manchester Piccadilly.[9]
Facilities
Waiting facilities include a covered shelter, the original station building now demolished. A free carpark is located opposite the platform, with capacity for 15 vehiciles. An independent ticket office operates from a site on the station. The station is staffed on a part time basis.[10]
References
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 159, 177, 160. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ a b c Wing Commander Ken McKay A Vision Of Greatness: The History of Milford 1790-1990, Brace Harvatt Associates, 1989. ISBN 978-0-9515212-0-5
- ^ Vision of Britain Descriptive Gazetteer entry for MILFORD", Wilson, John Marius (1870-1872). Retrieved 09 October 2011
- ^ a b c d Parker, Richard, The Railways of Pembrokeshire, Noodle Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1-906419-07-3
- ^ a b Parker, Richard Neyland: A Great Western Outpost, KRB Publications, 2002. ISBN 0-9542035-3-4
- ^ laluciole.net: A history of Britain's broad gauge railways Retrieved 30 January 2010
- ^ a b Barrie, Derek A Regional History Of The Railway Of Great Britain: Vol. 12, South Wales, Thomas & Lochar, 1994. ISBN 978-0-946537-69-3
- ^ Hakin CP Junior School Hakin: A Pictorial History, C.I.T Print Services, Haverfordwest, 1998. ISBN 0-9529672-1-9
- ^ Arriva Trains Wales Timetable
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries - Milford Haven Station". http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/mfh/details.html. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
External links
- Train times and station information for Milford Haven railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston | Arriva Trains Wales West Wales Line |
Terminus | ||
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