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, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Swansea Railway Station - geograph.org.uk - 1150393.jpg , borough =
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
,
City and County of Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name =
Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordina ...
, grid_position = , manager =
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
, platforms = 4 , code = SWA , classification = DfT category C1 , original =
South Wales Railway The South Wales Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd De Cymru) was a main line railway which opened in stages from 1850, connecting the Great Western Railway from Gloucester to South Wales. It was constructed on the broad gauge. An original aspiration was to ...
, pregroup =
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and r ...
, postgroup = Great Western Railway , opened =
as ''Swansea High Street'' , years = 6 May 1968 , events = Renamed ''Swansea'' , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the
Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...
Swansea railway station serves the city of
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, Wales. It is measured from
London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great We ...
(via Stroud) on the
National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
network. In 2021/22 it was the third-busiest station in Wales (after Cardiff Central and Newport).


History

The station opened in 1850.History of the Great Western Railway, E.T. MacDermot (rev. C.R. Clinker, pub. Ian Allan, 1964) It was built by the South Wales Railway, which amalgamated with the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and r ...
(GWR) in 1863, but it was not originally on the South Wales Railway main line, planned to connect London with the port of Fishguard, and Swansea passengers had to change at
Landore Landore ( cy, Glandŵr) is a district and community in Swansea, Wales. The district falls in the Landore council ward. A mainly residential area, it is located about 2.5 miles north of Swansea city centre. The north-easterly part of Landore i ...
, two miles to the north until at least 1879. The station has been renovated and extended several times in its lifetime - most notably in the 1880s, when the stone-built office block facing High Street, on the west side of the station, was added, and in 1925-7 when the platforms were lengthened. The present-day frontage block, facing Ivey Place, was completed in 1934. Nothing now remains of the original wooden station with its two platforms and galvanised iron roof. The majority of the rebuilt station remains intact, although the facilities have been reduced. The umbrella-type platform roofing which replaced the 1880s train-sheds in the 1920s is mostly intact although the canopy on platform 4 has been shortened. The number of platforms was reduced from five to four in 1973 under
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...
when the old Platform 1 was eliminated, along with the loading bays and fish dock that once stood beyond it. The remaining platforms were renumbered at the same time, so that what were platforms 2 to 5 are now platforms 1 to 4, respectively. On the east side of the station there was a connecting line which bypassed the platforms and ran at one time to coal tips on the North Dock (closed in 1929 and subsequently infilled) and on to a junction with the high-level line from Eastern Depot to Victoria station (closed in 1965). Part of the route of this line, alongside the station itself, is now a staff car park and the remainder, which was carried on viaducts alongside the Strand, has been obliterated by modern development. High Street goods station was on the west side of the line, just north of the passenger station. The site has been completely cleared and used for housing and also the dedicated bus road that runs from the Landore park-and-ride facility into the city centre. On the opposite side of the line were extensive carriage sidings ( Maliphant sidings), large areas of which are, as of 2014, being redeveloped as the
Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...
IEP (
Intercity Express Programme The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) is an initiative of the Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main L ...
) rail service depot. There was great competition between the different railway companies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Swansea had seven stations in 1895, owned by five different railway companies: High Street (GWR), St Thomas (Midland Railway), East Dock (GWR), Riverside (Rhondda & Swansea Bay Railway, by which it was called simply Swansea; renamed Swansea Docks by the GWR in 1924 and Riverside two years later), Victoria and Swansea Bay (both London & North Western Railway), and Rutland Street (the town terminus of the
Mumbles Railway The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world's first passenger horsecar railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Originally built under an Act of Parliament of 1804 to move limestone from the quarries of Mumb ...
). Only High Street now remains in the city centre.


Services

To the east, trains operate along the
South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...
. Swansea is a western terminus for
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and r ...
Class 800 services to
London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great We ...
that do not terminate at Cardiff Central, with the majority of local train services west of Swansea timed to connect with London services.
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
provides the
Swanline Swanline is the name of the local rail service from to , on the South Wales Main Line. History The Swanline service was launched in June 1994, following the construction of five new stations at , , , and on the existing South Wales Main Li ...
service to Cardiff Central (for connections to the South Wales Valleys, , , , , , and ), and services to
Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
. To the west,
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
trains run along the West Wales Line to
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, d ...
and then to
Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly followi ...
,
Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...
or
Fishguard Harbour Goodwick (; cy, Wdig) is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Fishguard and Goodwick form a community that wraps around Fishguard Bay. As well as the two towns, it consists of Dyffryn, Stop-an ...
. Certain services to Fishguard Harbour connect with the
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major unit of St ...
ferry to
Rosslare Europort Rosslare Europort ( ga, Europort Ros Láir) is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the premier Irish port serving the European Contine ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. Swansea is the eastern terminus for a few of the services from West Wales.Arriva Trains Wales: West Wales to Swansea timetable
/ref> Services on the
Heart of Wales line The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llang ...
between
Llanelli Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthe ...
and
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Shr ...
often start from Swansea.


Rail and sea corridor to Ireland

Some of Transport for Wales'
boat train A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__ Notable named boat trains ...
s to and from Fishguard Harbour commence at Swansea. These connect with the
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major unit of St ...
ferry to
Rosslare Europort Rosslare Europort ( ga, Europort Ros Láir) is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the premier Irish port serving the European Contine ...
in Ireland with a daily morning and evening service in both directions. This route has been in existence since 1906.


Description

The station is a
terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...
, at the end of a short branch off the
South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...
and the West Wales Line, so that all through passenger trains must either reverse at Swansea or omit calling there. In practice, almost all passenger services do call there. The station has four platforms. Great Western Railway trains from London normally enter the station with the standard-class carriages leading, and usually use platform 3. The platforms are covered for part of their length. Until January 2004, the mail train to London was a regular service from the station. In February 2013, Swansea station won the "Wales’ Best Staffed Train Station" award, supported by
Keep Wales Tidy Keep Wales Tidy is a Welsh national voluntary environmental charity which works towards achieving "a clean, safe and tidy Wales". It works in partnership with Local Authorities, schools and community groups, and organisations such as Waste Awaren ...
. In May 2013, Swansea station was named "International Station of the Year" and won the "Best Large Station" award at the International Station Awards. The ticket office is open here each day (Monday - Friday 05:15 - 20:00, Saturday 06:15 - 20:00, Sunday 08:00 - 20:00), with self-service ticket machines provided for use when the ticket office is closed and for collecting pre-paid tickets. A range of other amenities are available, including toilets, retail outlets, waiting rooms, ATM, payphone and the local Tourist Information Office. Bus stops and a taxi rank are located outside the entrance. Train running information is offered via timetable posters, digital CIS displays and automated announcements. Step-free access is available to all platforms.


Platforms

Swansea has four platforms, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Platforms are generally used for the same services, but can change if it is not available. Following the May 2021 timetable update the normal pattern is: *Platform 1 **
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
: *** via . Some services originate from or . *** via and from either or . *** Terminating services from via . *Platform 2 **
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
: *** from either or *** via from *** via that start at Swansea. Some services originate from . *Platform 3 **
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and r ...
: *** from . *** via . *** Terminating services from via . *Platform 4 **
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
: *** via that start at Swansea. *** via that start at Swansea. *** Terminating services from . *** Terminating services from .


Name of the station

For most of its history the station was known as ''Swansea High Street'' to distinguish it from other stations in the area. Following the
Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...
in the 1960s and the closure of Swansea Victoria, the name was shortened to ''Swansea''. Today the station is called ''Abertawe/Swansea'' on platform signs, the facade, public timetables, by the National Assembly of Wales and by Swansea County Council. Before the station was re-vamped, a sign above the station entrance said ''High Street Station'', as does Network Rail route documentation.


Station redevelopment

Swansea station received an upgrade in the form of redevelopment work that was completed in 2012, with new facilities including new waiting rooms, bicycle racks and digital information boards. Work was completed in June 2012 and officially opened by the Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for Transport, Carl Sargeant, on Monday 11 June. Further redevelopment work was carried out in the form of a new Ticket Office, completed in September 2017. A new enclosure was constructed for the ticket office, separating it from the main station concourse. In October 2020,
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
and
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
announced that work will start on rebuilding and lengthening Platform 4 to . This will allow longer trains to use the platform and provide extra flexibility. At the same time, Transport for Wales will undertake other improvement works at the station including re-branding, improved ticket buying facilities and refurbished spaces for use by local businesses and community groups. The work was completed in June 2021.


Services


References

* * *''Railways around Swansea'' factsheet from Swansea Museums Service *''The South Wales Railway'' factsheet from Swansea Museums Service


Further reading

*


External links


Station on navigable O. S. mapGreat Western IEP Network Master Availability And Reliability Agreement

Photographs of the station through the years
{{Major railway stations in Britain Railway stations in Swansea DfT Category C1 stations Former Great Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850 1850 establishments in Wales South Wales Main Line Railway stations served by Great Western Railway Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Rail