Holyhead railway station
Encyclopedia
Holyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead
(Welsh name
: Caergybi) 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 first station in Holyhead was opened by the Chester and Holyhead Railway
on August 1, 1848 but this was replaced by the second in September 1851. The present station was opened by the LNWR on 17 June 1880 and still retains its overall roof. It originally had four platforms, but only three are currently in use - the track to the former platform three having been lifted. Platform one (on the western side of the station) is separated from the other two by the ferry terminal buildings and inner harbour and is the one normally used by through services to London - most other trains use platform two (platform four is only used occasionally as it is outside the train shed and open to the elements). There used to be a rail-served container terminal next to the station, but this closed down in the early 1990s (when the traffic transferred to Liverpool
http://www.2d53.co.uk/holyhead/23Dec80.htm) and has since been demolished.
via Bangor
, Llandudno Junction
, Colwyn Bay
, Rhyl
, Prestatyn
and Flint
.
There are also through services to London Euston (five each weekday, four on Saturdays, three on Sundays) and Cardiff Central
(with two extensions to and ), and Birmingham International
(the latter each on a two-hourly frequency Mon-Sat). On Sundays, most services run to/from .
Holyhead station is built into Holyhead Ferry Port, which offers several sailings daily to and from both Dublin and Dún Laoghaire
.
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....
(Welsh name
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
: Caergybi) on Holy Island, Anglesey
Holy Island, Anglesey
Holy Island Cybi') is an island on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, North Wales, from which it is separated by a narrow, winding channel. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of standing stones, burial chambers and other religious sites on the small island. The...
. It is the western terminus of the 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...
and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
, although Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
also serves it.
The first station in Holyhead was opened by the Chester and Holyhead Railway
Chester 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...
on August 1, 1848 but this was replaced by the second in September 1851. The present station was opened by the LNWR on 17 June 1880 and still retains its overall roof. It originally had four platforms, but only three are currently in use - the track to the former platform three having been lifted. Platform one (on the western side of the station) is separated from the other two by the ferry terminal buildings and inner harbour and is the one normally used by through services to London - most other trains use platform two (platform four is only used occasionally as it is outside the train shed and open to the elements). There used to be a rail-served container terminal next to the station, but this closed down in the early 1990s (when the traffic transferred to Liverpool
Port of Liverpool
The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...
http://www.2d53.co.uk/holyhead/23Dec80.htm) and has since been demolished.
Services
There is a basic hourly service throughout the week (although less frequently on winter Sundays) to ChesterChester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
via Bangor
Bangor (Gwynedd) railway station
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 east of Holyhead....
, 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
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
, Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
and Flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
.
There are also through services to London Euston (five each weekday, four on Saturdays, three on Sundays) and Cardiff Central
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...
(with two extensions to and ), and Birmingham International
Birmingham International
Birmingham International may refer to:* Birmingham International railway station, Birmingham, England* Birmingham International Airport , serving Birmingham, England* Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, serving Birmingham, Alabama...
(the latter each on a two-hourly frequency Mon-Sat). On Sundays, most services run to/from .
Holyhead station is built into Holyhead Ferry Port, which offers several sailings daily to and from both Dublin and Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
.