Network Rail has celebrated winning a national award for the restoration of Pantyffynnon Station, thanks to input from the community.

Local carpentry students were able to work alongside the team in restoring the building, helped by the community, who sent in pictures of the original station, ensuring it was restored sympathetically.

The station has been awarded the Railway Heritage Trust Conservation Award at the National Rail Heritage Awards.

The project was made possible with the help from Carmarthenshire’s Built Heritage Team and grant funding from the Railway Heritage Trust.

A plaque was unveiled at the station on January 19 to celebrate its recent success.

The station sits on the Heart of Wales Line, which is celebrating its 150-year anniversary this year.

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Adam Price AM and Jonathan Edwards MP, joined representatives from Network Rail, Arriva Trains Wales, Carmarthenshire Council, the Railway Heritage Trust and the National Rail Heritage Awards to unveil the plaque and took a tour of the Grade II listed building.

In a joint statement, Mr Edwards and Mr Price said: “We are full of admiration for the hard work and meticulous attention to detail which has been invested in restoring the station to its former glory.

“The project has been possible because of the help from local residents who have worked together with Network Rail and Arriva Trains Wales to give Pantyffynnon Station a new lease of life.

John Ellis, Chairman of the National Railway Heritage Awards said: “The awards are the sole awards body dedicated to encouraging best practice in the restoration and continued upkeep of historic railway buildings and structures.

“Pantyffynnon Station reflects this aim as a rare survivor at one of the earliest railway companies in Wales, the Llanelly Railway.”

Ammanford-born Thomas Owens, Arriva Trains Wales station manager of Pantyffynnon, added: “It’s fantastic that our little station has won such a prestigious national award.

“Having grown up just a few miles away myself, I know how important it is to the community here.”