Borth railway station

Borth
National Rail
General information
LocationBorth, Ceredigion
Wales
Coordinates52°29′28″N 4°03′00″W / 52.491°N 4.050°W / 52.491; -4.050
Grid referenceSN609900
ManagerTransport for Wales
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeBRH
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened1 July 1863
Original company
Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Pre-groupingCambrian Railways
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 8,444
2021/22Increase 32,764
2022/23Increase 44,902
2023/24Increase 57,948
2024/25Increase 61,940
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated8 December 1997
Reference no.19150[1]
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Borth railway station serves the village of Borth, near Aberystwyth, Wales. It is a stop on the Cambrian Line between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth.

History

Borth station in 1962

The station was opened by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway on 1 July 1863, along with the section of line between Machynlleth and Borth.[2][3]

It originally had two platforms with a goods yard to the north,[4] but is now an unstaffed halt.[5]

The station was host to a Great Western Railway camping coach from 1934 to 1939;[6][7] one was also positioned here by the Western Region from 1952 to 1962. In 1963, the administration of camping coaches at the station was taken over by the London Midland; there was a coach here from 1963 to 1968 and two coaches from 1969 to 1971.[8]

Due to severe flood damage, services between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth were suspended between 2 January and 14 April. The flooding caused the track to move vertically (rather than buckle, caused by extreme heat)[9] and parts of the embankment were washed away.[10]

The original station building still remains and is Grade II listed; it is in private commercial use apart from one room, which provides a waiting room for passengers. The station was adopted under Arriva Trains Wales Station Adoption Scheme and has won a number of community awards.[11]

In January 2011, volunteers started to convert an unused part of the waiting room and the long-closed booking office into a museum; this was completed in July 2011.[12] The museum now houses various collections, including Village History, Railway & Industrial Heritage, Natural History and Environmental displays.[13]

Facilities

Train running information is provided by the standard combination of digital CIS displays, timetable poster boards and customer help point installed at most TfW-managed stations. Step-free access is available from the entrance and car park to the platform.[14]

The museum and station play a key role in series 1, episode 4, entitled "The Girl in the Water", of Y Gwyll (Hinterland in English); this was transmitted on S4C in 2013 and BBC One Wales in January 2014.[15] In 2019, Derek Brockway visited Borth Station Museum[16] as part of his walk from Ynyslas to Aberystwyth, on his BBC programme Weatherman Walking.[17]

Services

Trains call at least every two hours in each direction on Mondays-Saturdays; this rises to hourly during morning and afternoon peak periods and into the evening. Services operate to Aberystwyth westbound and either Machynlleth, Shrewsbury or Birmingham International eastbound.

A similar frequency operates on Sundays, but starting later in the day.[18]

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Transport for Wales
Birmingham International-Aberystwyth
  Historical railways  
Llandre
Line open, station closed		   Cambrian Railways
Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway		   Ynyslas
Line open, station closed

References

  1. ↑ "Borth Station". Historic Wales. Cadw. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 92. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  3. ↑ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
  4. ↑ "Borth station on OS Six-inch map Cardiganshire III.NW (includes: Y Borth)". National Library of Scotland. 1887. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Borth (BRH) station". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. ↑ McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 31. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  7. ↑ Fenton, Mike (1999). Camp Coach Holidays on the G.W.R. Wild Swan. p. 35. ISBN 1-874103-53-4.
  8. ↑ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. pp. 112–117. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  9. ↑ Erridge, Chris (9 June 2023). "Why rails buckle in Britain". Network Rail. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1976). "Storm damage repairs in Wales". The Railway Magazine. No. 903. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. p. 342.
  11. ↑ Association of Community Rail Partnerships (2014). "Station Adoption 2014: A guide for the local community" (PDF). citizensrail.org. p. 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2024.
  12. ↑ Johnston, Howard (10 August 2011). "Regional News". Rail. Peterborough. p. 24.
  13. ↑ "Welcome to Borth Station Museum". Borth Station Museum. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Borth station facilities". National Rail. Rail Delivery Group. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  15. ↑ "Hinterland: Series 1, Episode 4 Review". Dead Good. Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "Weatherman Walking - Ynyslas to Aberystwyth" (PDF). bbc.co.uk. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "BBC One - Weatherman Walking, The Welsh Coast, Ynyslas to Aberystwyth, Cardigan Bay". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Table 76 National Rail timetable, May 2016
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