Health board agrees deal with heritage railway to ease parking problems

A health board has agreed a deal with a heritage railway to help ease long-standing parking problems for staff and patients at one of its hospitals.

The agreement between Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Gwili Railway Company will see staff from Glangwili General Hospital use the new car park at the popular tourist attraction during the week.

Extra spaces will be released in phases from Monday, 2 September. By the end of September, there will be close to 150 extra spaces available exclusively to Hywel Dda staff from Monday to Friday.

The spaces will be used at the weekend by visitors to the Gwili Railway.

The move will free up additional parking spaces at the hospital for patients as a result.

The car and coach park is part of Gwili Railway’s work on a southern extension to the line to the former Abergwili junction which opened in 2017.

‘Great results’

Andrew Carruthers, Chief Operating Officer at Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “This is an excellent example of how working in partnership with well-known and respected local organisations can provide some really great results.

“We have been working closely with the Gwili Railway Company on the development of a joint car parking solution that will see the introduction of 144 staff-only parking spaces at their site adjacent to the Glangwili General Hospital site.

“We are delighted that this will now be available for our staff to use from the beginning of September.

“Now that these spaces are available, we will reserve the top car park – which has 64 spaces – exclusively for patients.

“These changes will support an improvement in the flow of traffic at the front of the site and make parking easier for patients.

“I would like to thank the Gwili Railway Company for working with us and giving us the opportunity to improve parking facilities for staff and in turn, visitors and patients. I’m sure this will make a big difference to their experience while receiving care at our busy Glangwili site.

“Thank you also to colleagues at Carmarthenshire County Council who have supported us during the planning process for this new parking arrangement.”

Mathew Bowen, Chairman of the Gwili Railway Company added: “The Gwili Railway Company is pleased to be able to assist Hywel Dda University Health Board and the local community in easing the parking issues at Glangwili Hospital. We look forward to a continued positive relationship with the allocation of Glangwili staff  spaces at our Abergwili Junction site, which will complement our own heritage railway operations.”