The Gwili Railway thread

The Pembroke Coast Express makes an unexpected return after 58 years and the carriage shed begins to go up in the sunshine….

regards

Matt

 

It's some structure! All looks amazing Matt. Plenty going on. How was the passenger numbers last year in the end? Hopefully abergwili is giving a nice little boost?

Cheers
Tom

 

The carriage shed continues to progress

 

It's so surreal, almost have to pinch myself. It will be great to get the carraiges under cover and free up the carraige and wagon department to bring more carraiges back into service.

Cheers,
Tom

 

The main frame of the structure is now up and the next stage is to prepare the roof cladding for erection.

 

6430 before yesterday’s services.

As a washout js now due, Moorbarrow will take over for the next few weeks.

meanwhile work continues on the carriage shed roof cladding.

regards

Matt

 

I note that the new Abergwili Junction station is not accessible by public transport (despite it being adjacent to a hospital). Rather disappointing. In the current climate (pun intended), one would have thought that a railway which has no option but to burn fossil fuels would make an effort to allow access by something other than the motor car.

 

There is a planning application in to provide pedestrian access after which access will available from the public footpath adjacent.

Regards

Matt

 

TBF that's not completely the railway's fault - whether the local bus company decides to run a route to a certain location is surely a decision that is made by said local bus company, not an organisation at one potential stop?

 

How do you know that the railway hasn't made efforts to get buses to stop there?
Have you checked with the bus companies to see why they have not included the railway in their routes?
Have you checked with the railway before decrying them on here?

 

to be fair it is an issue, and has been raised a few times, by passengers who want to get to us by public transport, however as outlined above we have a plan of action to remedy. I agree we can’t do much about the bus routes which is an issue for the Council.

 

Presumably bus passengers can still board trains at Bronwydd Arms?

 

At present, no, as we want the new arrangements to “bed in”, in time we will reopen as a request stop.

regards

Matt

 

I looked it up there is a bus that runs to the hospital. Once the said planned link to the footpath is built I'm sure getting to the railway by bus will be possible.

 

Once the path is given planning permission the railway should be very accessible as there is a bus to glangwili hospital pretty much every 15minutes during the day.

With the bus station in carmarthen accessible just over the bridge from the station and the new direct trains from London Paddington to carmarthen every two hours, the new station will be infinitely more accessible than bronwydd was by public transport

 

One of the councils specific conditions on the original planning approval was that there should be NO pedestrian access to the site. I believe the rational was that the site is bounded on one side by the hospital (private property) and on the other two sides by 70MPH dual carriageways (no cycle or foot paths) and they did (edit added-) not (oops.) want pedestrians wandering along the verges.

 

Moorbarrow in the sunshine.

credit- D Rees


Regards

Matt

 

Don't worry, will be 20mph from September probably.

 

Only on one carriageway though, the other will be the A40 cycle and pedestrian lane. Wonder if the bikes will be restricted to 20mph?

 

Some pictures of carriage shed progress