Holyhead railway station(Welsh:Gorsaf reilffordd Caergybi) serves the Welsh town ofHolyhead(Welsh:Caergybi) onHoly Island, Anglesey.The station is the western terminus of theNorth Wales Main Line105+1⁄2miles (170 km) west ofCreweand is managed byTransport for Wales Rail.It connects with thePort of Holyheadferry terminal. The station is connected to the town centre by a stainless steel pedestrian/cycle bridge namedThe Celtic Gateway(Welsh:Porth Celtaidd).
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Holyhead,Anglesey Wales | ||||
| Coordinates | 53°18′29″N4°37′52″W/ 53.308°N 4.631°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SH247822 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Transport for Wales Rail | ||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | HHD | ||||
| Classification | DfT categoryE | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Chester and Holyhead Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 August 1848 | First station opened | ||||
| 15 May 1851 | Station resited | ||||
| 1 January 1866 | Station resited | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.206 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 44,462 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.139 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.202 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.223 million | ||||
Listed Building– Grade II | |||||
| Feature | Train Shed at Holyhead Station | ||||
| Designated | 25 July 1994 | ||||
| Reference no. | 14739[1] | ||||
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History
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The first station in Holyhead was opened by theChester and Holyhead Railwayon 1 August 1848, but this was replaced by the second on 15 May 1851.[2]
The present station was opened by theLondon and North Western Railwayon 17 January 1866[2]and still retains its overall roof. It is believed to be the longest train shed in Wales.[1]It originally had four platforms, but only three are currently in use, the track to the former platform three having been lifted. The station approach contains aGrade II listedclock turret[3]which was unveiled on 17 June 1878 byAlbert Edward, Prince of Walesto mark completion of old harbour extension. The clock is byJ. B. Joyce & Coof Whitchurch.
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 byAvanti West Coastservices toLondon Euston.MostTransport for WalesDMU services use platform two. Platform three is outside the train shed and is used by the early morningPremier ServicetoCardiff Central,plus a few other trains at busy periods. There are carriage sidings and servicing facilities alongside platform one, whilst platform three also has an engine release line & run-round loop available.
A rail-served container terminal next to the station closed in 1991 when the traffic transferred toLiverpool.[4]It has since been demolished and is now used as a car parking area for theStena Lineferry service.[5]
Passenger ships previously used to berth in the inner harbour next to Platform 1, this ceased when the port was re-developed.Stena Linebuilt an administration building between platforms 1 and 2 in the early 1990s.
Stationmasters
editFacilities
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The station is fully staffed, with the ticket office in the main ferry terminal being staffed seven days a week. Self-service ticket machines are also provided. The terminal offers covered waiting accommodation, a payphone, a photo booth, a left luggage office, toilets, shops, and a cafe. Train running details are offered via digital information screens, timetable posters and automated announcements. Step-free access is available to all platforms.[12]
Services
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Holyhead is served by a basic Transport for Wales hourly service throughout the week (although less frequently on winter Sundays) toShrewsburywith services continuing toBirmingham InternationalandCardiff Centralon alternate hours. A limited number of trains (mostly early morning and late evening) run to/from Crewe, whilst two services operate toManchester Piccadillyon weekdays only. On Sundays, most services run to/fromCrewe,with a limited number of trains to Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester.[13]
Avanti West Coastoperate services toLondon Eustonand Crewe via theWest Coast Main Line.On weekdays, there are 4 trains per day to London Euston, as well as 3 trains per day which run only as far as Crewe. On Saturdays, there are 3 trains per day to London Euston and 1 train to Crewe, and on Sundays there are 3 trains per day to London Euston.[14]
Holyhead station adjoins thePort of Holyhead,where sailings toDublinare operated by Irish Ferries and Stena Line. Up to September 2014 Stena Line operated a high-speed service toDún Laoghaire,a suburb 12km south of Dublin City Centre.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport for Wales Rail | Terminus | |||
| Transport for Wales Rail | Terminus | |||
| Avanti West Coast | Terminus | |||
 Ferry services
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| Terminus | Irish Ferries Ferry |
Dublin Port | ||
| Terminus | Irish Ferries high-speed catamaran |
Dublin Port | ||
| Terminus | Stena Line Ferry |
Dublin Port | ||
References
edit- ^abCadw."Train Shed at Holyhead Station (14739)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved26 August2020.
- ^abButt, R.V.J. (1995).The Directory of Railway Stations.Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 122.ISBN1-85260-508-1.R508.
- ^Cadw."Clock Turret in Station Approach (14735)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved26 August2020.
- ^Holyhead, 23 December 19802D53.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-08-05
- ^Freightliners to Holyhead 1971 - 1991penmorfa; Retrieved 2013-08-05
- ^"1889-1897 Coaching".London and North Western Railway:473. 1833.Retrieved23 August2021.
- ^"Social and Personal".Denbighshire Free Press.England. 17 November 1906.Retrieved23 August2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Mr. Joseph Jones".North Bucks Times and County Observer.England. 6 July 1912.Retrieved23 August2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Stafford Station Master".Staffordshire Sentinel.England. 22 June 1912.Retrieved23 August2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Railway Official Retiring".Belfast News-Letter.England. 30 April 1936.Retrieved23 August2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"L.M.S.Appointments".Nottingham Evening Post.England. 13 June 1942.Retrieved23 August2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^Holyhead station facilitiesNational Rail Enquiries;Retrieved 14 March 2017
- ^GB eNRT May 2019 Edition, Table 81
- ^"Avanti West Coast Timetable 15 May 2022 - 11 September 2022"(PDF).
Further reading
edit- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2011).Bangor to Holyhead.West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 61-78.ISBN9781908174017.OCLC795179106.
- Allen, David (21 October – 3 November 1998). "Seaside signalling in North Wales".RAIL.No. 342. EMAP Apex Publications. pp.40–42.ISSN0953-4563.OCLC49953699.
- "Holyhead station's £3m repairs on schedule".RAIL.No. 343. EMAP Apex Publications. 4–17 November 1998. p. 11.ISSN0953-4563.OCLC49953699.
External links
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- Train timesandstation informationfor Holyhead railway station fromNational Rail