Much-needed makeover is well underway at gateway station - Whitland

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Carmarthen Journal:

I'm delighted that work has finally started on sprucing up Whitland station.

Local businesses, the town council and myself have been lobbying Network Rail for years to improve the look of this vitally important gateway to the town.

Hoardings have now gone up while the smaller of the two buildings at the site is demolished and the rusty eyesore of a footbridge is also due to be repainted by the end of late summer.

These will both be vast improvements but the station building itself is still standing there ^ empty for the past 18 years ^ and slowing rotting away.

However there is hopefully good news on that front too. At a recent meeting I held with Network Rail at the site they told me they are looking into three options: completely demolishing it and leaving a canopy for shelter, exploring the possibility of commercially letting it or for Network Rail to make it their regional maintenance office.

Any of these three would be a big improvement for what is a very well used asset for the town and I'm hopeful that we are at last inching towards a solution.

[Rhydgaled]

Where's the 'none of the above' option? It is the interchange between the three Pembrokeshire branches, the waiting room should be restored to use so passengers waiting for a service down the other branch aren't left to be frozen by the wind for half an hour (that's how long I had to wait to get from Carmarthen to Fishguard).

Also, where did the extra four years come from? It has only been empty for 14 years, I was in there the other week and on the wall is the Wales & West 24th May to 26th September 1998 timetable is on the wall. 2012-1998 = 14.

[Chris from Nailsea]

That particular item in the Carmarthen Journal, although unattributed, appears to have been written by the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament). 

[inspector_blakey]

My local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), no less... Even though (a) I'm an overseas voter and (b) I certainly didn't vote for him.

It certainly would be nice to see the station smartened up a bit though: it's certainly true that the station is very well used (from what I recall passenger numbers are about 50,000 a year), not least because it has a very respectable train service in both directions. Now that certain Fishguard trains terminate or originate there and it's seeing more use as an interchange, some improvements to the waiting facilities would certainly be welcome.

Rhydgaled - if you find youself with 30 minutes to wait there again, it's much warmer in the Station House next door...

[Rhydgaled]

Now that certain Fishguard trains terminate or originate there and it's seeing more use as an interchange, some improvements to the waiting facilities would certainly be welcome.

I don't think there are any Fishguard services that terminate at Whitland, one in the morning might look like it starts there but I think is actually a portion of a Pembroke Dock train. The journey planner I tend to use (East Coast) says to change at Whitland if traveling from Fishguard to Tenby, that's the principle interchange there I'm concerned about (I'd imagine if you were going to Pembroke from Fishguard, or to Tenby from Haverfordwest, by public transport you'd go by bus), plus passengers trying to board the boat train from Cardiff at about 10:57 that gets to Fishguard around 13:15 and calls at Llanelli and Whitland only. The Fishguard short workings only go to Clarbeston Road.

Rhydgaled - if you find youself with 30 minutes to wait there again, it's much warmer in the Station House next door...

Station House? Is that the pub? No good if you carry a packed lunch and bottles of water from home and hence don't want to have to buy anything.