Bangor (Gwynedd) railway station
Encyclopedia
Bangor railway station in Bangor
, Gwynedd
is the last mainland station on the London Euston
to Holyhead
North Wales Coast line
. The station is 40 km (24¾ miles) east of Holyhead
.
The station occupies a rather exposed site with the wind channeled between high ground on both sides and exposed to the prevailing wet westerly winds. A full platform length canopy on Platform 1 provides protection for travellers heading east and south to Chester and beyond. Travellers heading north towards Holyhead on Platform 2 have only two bays of canopy to shelter under. An enclosed pedestrian
bridge links the two platforms. For cyclists there are a row of cycle kennels at the northern end of Platform 1.
, built at a cost of £6,960 and lies between two tunnel
s, each of which has two running lines, an up line and a down line. Through the station there are also two further lines used for goods traffic, particularly the carriage of nuclear
fuel
flasks to and from Wylfa
nuclear power station on Anglesey.
The station was expanded as branch lines were opened:
The present building on platform 1 was the main building with a forecourt on the site of the present car park. Between 1924 and 1927 an additional loop line and platform was constructed on the site of the forecourt with a new frontage facing Deiniol Road. Ultimately there were four platforms and a small bay to serve the main line and branch lines.
By the 1950s there was an extensive goods yard, a five-road engine shed
(on the site of the steel mill), a turntable, three-road goods shed
, two signal boxes, an extra footbridge and a subway connecting platforms. There was a total of nine separate through routes from one tunnel to the other.
With the closure of the branch lines in the 1960s and 1970s, the station was reduced to having two operational platforms only, with the track and platform on the pre-1920s forecourt being converted back to something like its original use.
Announced in November 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government has asked Network Rail to conduct a feasibility study on reopening the line between Llangefni on Anglesey and Bangor for passenger services. Network Rail is expected to clear the line of vegatation and assess the track bed before publishing its report in 2010, before any business cases to reopen the line is then developed.
via Llandudno Junction
, Colwyn Bay
, Rhyl
, Prestatyn
and Flint
, as well as across Anglesey
to Holyhead
.
There are also through services to London Euston
(seven per day Monday-Friday, five on Saturdays, three on Sundays), Cardiff Central railway station
(every two hours) and Birmingham International
(every two hours).
On Sundays the service is also hourly each way from mid-morning, but running to Holyhead and Crewe (apart from a single through service to Cardiff).
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
is the last mainland station on the London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
to Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
North Wales Coast line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
. The station is 40 km (24¾ miles) east of Holyhead
Holyhead railway station
Holyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey. It is the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, although Virgin Trains also serves it....
.
The station occupies a rather exposed site with the wind channeled between high ground on both sides and exposed to the prevailing wet westerly winds. A full platform length canopy on Platform 1 provides protection for travellers heading east and south to Chester and beyond. Travellers heading north towards Holyhead on Platform 2 have only two bays of canopy to shelter under. An enclosed pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
bridge links the two platforms. For cyclists there are a row of cycle kennels at the northern end of Platform 1.
History
The station was opened on 1 May 1848 by the Chester and Holyhead RailwayChester and Holyhead Railway
The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated out of a proposal to link Holyhead, the traditional port for the Irish Mail, with London by way of the existing Chester and Crewe Railway, and what is now the West Coast Main Line...
, built at a cost of £6,960 and lies between two tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s, each of which has two running lines, an up line and a down line. Through the station there are also two further lines used for goods traffic, particularly the carriage of nuclear
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...
fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
flasks to and from Wylfa
Wylfa
The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station is situated just west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provides an excellent cooling source for its operation...
nuclear power station on Anglesey.
The station was expanded as branch lines were opened:
- From to (Bangor and Carnarvon RailwayBangor and Carnarvon RailwayThe Bangor and Carnarvon Railway was a railway connecting Caernarvon railway station with Bangor on the Chester and Holyhead Railway .-History:...
) (1848) - From to (Anglesey Central RailwayAnglesey Central RailwayThe Anglesey Central Railway was a long standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867...
) (1866) - From to Red Wharf Bay and (Red Wharf Bay branch lineRed Wharf Bay branch lineThe Red Wharf Bay branch line was a standard gauge railway line in Anglesey, Wales, a branch off the Anglesey Central Railway. It opened fully in 1909, but closed to passengers in September 1930...
) (1909) - To BethesdaBethesda, WalesBethesda is a town lying on the River Ogwen and the A5 road on the edge of Snowdonia, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, colloquially called Pesda by the locals.- History :...
(Bethesda Branch) (1884)
The present building on platform 1 was the main building with a forecourt on the site of the present car park. Between 1924 and 1927 an additional loop line and platform was constructed on the site of the forecourt with a new frontage facing Deiniol Road. Ultimately there were four platforms and a small bay to serve the main line and branch lines.
By the 1950s there was an extensive goods yard, a five-road engine shed
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
(on the site of the steel mill), a turntable, three-road goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, two signal boxes, an extra footbridge and a subway connecting platforms. There was a total of nine separate through routes from one tunnel to the other.
With the closure of the branch lines in the 1960s and 1970s, the station was reduced to having two operational platforms only, with the track and platform on the pre-1920s forecourt being converted back to something like its original use.
Announced in November 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government has asked Network Rail to conduct a feasibility study on reopening the line between Llangefni on Anglesey and Bangor for passenger services. Network Rail is expected to clear the line of vegatation and assess the track bed before publishing its report in 2010, before any business cases to reopen the line is then developed.
Services
There is a basic hourly service to ChesterChester railway station
Chester railway station is a railway station in Newtown in the city of Chester, England. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, although Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Virgin Trains also run services from the station. It is situated to the north-east of the city centre...
via Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction railway station
Llandudno Junction railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. The station is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, although Virgin Trains also serves it....
, Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay railway station
Colwyn Bay railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line.The current station consists of the platform faces that served the Up Slow and Up Fast lines. The platform faces to the Down Slow and Down Fast lines were taken out of service and have been obliterated as a result of the...
, Rhyl
Rhyl railway station
Rhyl railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line and serves the major holiday resort of Rhyl.The station was once the junction for a branch line to Denbigh , but this was closed to passengers in September 1955.Ticket barriers are in operation at this station...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn railway station
Prestatyn railway station serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales. It located on the North Wales Coast Line and was opened in 1848. The coming of the railway is credited with bringing prosperity to the town, which was an aspiring resort...
and Flint
Flint railway station
Flint railway station serves the town of Flint in Flintshire, North Wales. It located on the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, who provide most of the passenger trains that call here...
, as well as across Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
to Holyhead
Holyhead railway station
Holyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey. It is the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, although Virgin Trains also serves it....
.
There are also through services to London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
(seven per day Monday-Friday, five on Saturdays, three on Sundays), Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
(every two hours) and Birmingham International
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
(every two hours).
On Sundays the service is also hourly each way from mid-morning, but running to Holyhead and Crewe (apart from a single through service to Cardiff).