Llandudno railway station
Encyclopedia
Llandudno railway station serves the town of Llandudno
and is the terminus of a branch line from Llandudno Junction
on the Crewe to Holyhead
North Wales Coast Line
. It is managed by Arriva Trains Wales
.
The first station and the branch line was built by the St. George's Harbour and Railway Company and opened on 1 October 1858. The trains at first ran to and from Conwy station until the completion of Llandudno Junction station. The line was soon absorbed by the London and North Western Railway
, which in turn became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1923. Vaughan Street in Llandudno was also laid out in 1858 as the station approach road.
As the first station had become inadequate to cope with increasing usage, the present Llandudno station buildings and frontage together with five platforms and an extensive glass roof were erected in 1892 and the station still has the Victorian carriage road between the two principal platforms. Platforms 4 & 5 have been disused since 1978 and the tracks have now officially been declared out of use. The southernmost half of the glass roof was removed some decades ago, and the remainder was substantially cut back again in 1990. Half of the station frontage (including the former waiting and refreshment rooms) has been disused for years and was demolished in May 2009.
In recent years, plans were unveiled for the transformation of the station into a Transport Interchange, which would involve the demolition of the disused part of the frontage and the introduction of new passenger facilities - following the resolving of funding issues, demolition is now underway (May 2009). The work includes a 130 space car park, a glazed concourse, a bus interchange, new taxi rank, and a shop/cafe. There will also be a new entrance and improvements to the platforms.
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
and is the terminus of a branch line from 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....
on the Crewe 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...
. It 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...
.
The first station and the branch line was built by the St. George's Harbour and Railway Company and opened on 1 October 1858. The trains at first ran to and from Conwy station until the completion of Llandudno Junction station. The line was soon absorbed by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
, which in turn became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1923. Vaughan Street in Llandudno was also laid out in 1858 as the station approach road.
As the first station had become inadequate to cope with increasing usage, the present Llandudno station buildings and frontage together with five platforms and an extensive glass roof were erected in 1892 and the station still has the Victorian carriage road between the two principal platforms. Platforms 4 & 5 have been disused since 1978 and the tracks have now officially been declared out of use. The southernmost half of the glass roof was removed some decades ago, and the remainder was substantially cut back again in 1990. Half of the station frontage (including the former waiting and refreshment rooms) has been disused for years and was demolished in May 2009.
In recent years, plans were unveiled for the transformation of the station into a Transport Interchange, which would involve the demolition of the disused part of the frontage and the introduction of new passenger facilities - following the resolving of funding issues, demolition is now underway (May 2009). The work includes a 130 space car park, a glazed concourse, a bus interchange, new taxi rank, and a shop/cafe. There will also be a new entrance and improvements to the platforms.
Services
- Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
provides an hourly service to Manchester Piccadilly via Colwyn BayColwyn Bay railway stationColwyn 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...
, RhylRhyl railway stationRhyl 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...
, PrestatynPrestatyn railway stationPrestatyn 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...
, FlintFlint railway stationFlint 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...
, ChesterChester railway stationChester 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...
and WarringtonWarrington Bank Quay railway stationWarrington Bank Quay railway station is a mainline railway station serving the UK town of Warrington. The town centre has two stations on opposite sides of the main shopping area, Warrington Central operating a more frequent service to the neighbouring cities Liverpool and Manchester...
. The last evening service on this route runs to Crewe rather than Manchester.
- Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
also operates an hourly shuttle to Llandudno JunctionLlandudno Junction railway stationLlandudno 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....
which connects with services to Bangor & HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead 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....
and also for Birmingham/Cardiff.
- Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
provides six trains per day down the Conwy Valley LineConwy Valley LineThe Conwy Valley Line is a railway line in north Wales. It runs from Llandudno via Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was originally part of the London and North Western Railway, being opened in stages to 1879...
serving LlanrwstLlanrwst railway stationLlanrwst railway station is in Denbigh Street near the centre of the market town of Llanrwst close to the local bus termini in Watling Street. It is on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog and was opened in 1989. The town's original station is now called North...
, Betws-y-CoedBetws-y-Coed railway stationBetws-y-Coed railway station is a passenger station on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog.The passenger train service is operated by Arriva Trains Wales and is marketed as the Conwy Valley Railway ....
and Blaenau FfestiniogBlaenau Ffestiniog railway stationBlaenau Ffestiniog railway station serves the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales, and is the passenger terminus of the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction. Arriva Trains Wales operate through services to Llandudno Junction and Llandudno...
- On summer Sundays (April to September in the current timetable) Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
operate a (roughly) half-hourly shuttle service to Llandudno JunctionLlandudno Junction railway stationLlandudno 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....
until early evening. In addition, two trains a day run down the Conwy Valley Line to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
- Virgin TrainsVirgin TrainsVirgin 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...
used to run a direct service to London EustonEuston stationEuston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
, but this service was discontinued.