Lampeter railway station, on the

Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , " Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, d ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, was built to serve the town of

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...

. It opened in 1866, six years after the line, which reached

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

in August 1867. Services at the time were limited, with only three trains running every day except Sundays. However, even this service enabled Lampeter to become an important station, although the cost of building the railway was slowly bankrupting the company. A steam Locomotive, No7 "Carmarthen", exploded at Maesycreigiau in 1890, and the Cambrian Railway took the M&M to court over unpaid bills. The railway was originally owned by the Manchester and Milford Railway Company, but owing to great financial difficulties, it was sold to the Great Western Railway in 1906. In 1911, a branch line was constructed between Lampeter and

Aberaeron Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community, and electoral ward between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of the ...

, known as the

Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway The Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway was an independent branch line railway in south west Wales. It connected Aberayron (later spelt Aberaeron) to the former Manchester and Milford Railway line at Lampeter; New Quay was never reached ...

. During the Second World War, specifically on Saturday 8 July 1944, Lampeter railway station received a contingent of 330 evacuee children from London who were then distributed to homes in and around the local area (including the village of

Cribyn Cribyn is a small village in Ceredigion, Wales, about 7 miles (11 km) north of Lampeter and with the villages of Troed y Rhiw, Mydroilyn and Dihewyd to the north. History and amenities Once a thriving community with two Public house, pubs, ...

). That same day Aberystwyth railway station likewise received 400 evacuee children. After the nationalisation of the railways, the passenger service to Aberaeron ceased in 1951. Passenger services from Carmarthen ran through to

until flooding severely damaged the line south of Aberystwyth in December 1964. A limited passenger service continued running from

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

Strata Florida Strata Florida Abbey ( cy, Abaty Ystrad Fflur) () is a former Cistercian abbey situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The abbey was founded in 1164. is a Latinisation of the Welsh ; 'Valley of F ...

until February 1965. Milk continued to be conveyed by railway until 1973 when the traffic was transferred to the road, and the tracks were lifted shortly afterwards. The former existence of the presence of a railway in Lampeter is still obvious; the large station and goods yard are now part of the University and the Cattle Market. Station Terrace has retained its name, and the railway bridge over the River Teifi near the Co-operative Supermarket still stands. The remains of the platforms still exist on the grounds of the university, heavily overgrown, and is not accessible to the public. A bridge once carried the railway over the A482, but this has since been dismantled, although the trackbed still remains in both directions. Local residents have been campaigning for the return of the railway to Lampeter.

References

{{coord, 52.1156, -4.0729, type:railwaystation_region:GB, display=title Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1866 Disused railway stations in Ceredigion Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Beeching closures in Wales 1866 establishments in Wales Former Great Western Railway stations Lampeter