File:Dovey Junction Station - Refurbished - 1 - geograph.org.uk - 1043049.jpg

English: Dovey Junction Station - Refurbished - 1 Refurbishment of Dovey Junction Station is virtually complete. The station stands in splendid isolation beside the tidal Afon Dyfi and about three quarters of a mile from the main A487 road at Glandyfi, along a public footpath. There is no public road access. As a result of its isolated position, it has some of the lowest passenger usage of any station in the UK. If it did not serve a purpose as an interchange point between the Cambrian Coast and Aberystwyth lines, it would have closed years ago. Having said that, the current timetable is not conducive to an interchange here and most passengers transferring between the Coast and Aberystwyth Lines (and vice versa) do so at Machynlleth, about four miles inland. Even the train crews do not expect passengers to alight here. When I told the train conductor that I wished to get off at Dovey Junction, his response was "Are you sure?".

It is, then, perhaps very surprising that the station platform has been completely resurfaced as part of a multi-million pound upgrade of the railway in the area. The main reason for the upgrade scheme was to reduce the number of line closures caused by flooding of the track of the Aberystwyth line by Afon Dyfi, which happened several times a year. The tracks in the area have all been raised in height to reduce the incidence of flooding and consequent line closures. As Dovey Junction station is to remain open, allowing that it does have some strategic importance, the level of the platforms had to be raised to the correct height above the new track level and hence the complete renewal of the platform surface.

A further part of the Welsh Assembly investment in the Cambrian Lines is a move towards an hourly service on the Aberystwyth route (currently two-hourly). As the route is all single line, with passing loops, the improved service frequency cannot be implemented with the current track layouts and the passing loop at Dovey Junction will need to be reinstated. In addition, a long passing loop will be required in the vicinity of Welshpool and work on this is well advanced. Some work on the loop at Dovey Junction has been carried out, but the scheme now appears to be on the back-burner. Some bedding ballast has been laid and sleepers positioned outside of the station but nothing was happening when I was there at about 09:00 on the day of this photograph.

Update 18th November 2008 - On passing through the station today I saw that the work was progressing on the passing loop and sleepers have now been laid for most of its length.