Holyhead railway station

Holyhead Welsh:Caergybi
General information
Location	Holyhead,Anglesey Wales
Coordinates	53.308°N 4.631°W/53.308; -4.631
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(1848-08-01)	First station opened
15 May 1851	Station resited
1 January 1866	Station resited
Passengers
2018/19	0.217 million
2019/20	0.206 million
2020/21	44,462
2021/22	0.139 million
2022/23	0.202 million
Listed Building– Grade II
Feature	Train Shed at Holyhead Station
Designated	25 July 1994
Reference no.	14739
Notes Passenger statistics from theOffice of Rail and Road

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 Coast 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).

History

Holyhead station in September 1967 underBritish Rail.

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.

The present station was opened by theLondon and North Western Railwayon 17 January 1866and still retains its overall roof. It is believed to be the longest train shed in Wales.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 turretwhich 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.It has since been demolished and is now used as a car parking area for theStena Lineferry service.

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

• Charles Massingberd 1848 - 1879
• William Guest 1879 - 1906
• Joseph Jones until 1912(afterwards station master at London Euston)
• Andrew William Taylor 1912- 1913 (formerly station master at Flint, afterwards station master at Wigan)
• Hugh Morgan 1913 - 1936
• H.W. Smith 1936 - 1942

Facilities

Interior of the joint railway station and ferry terminal

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.

Services

Stena Houseand Platform 2

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.

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.

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
Valley		Transport for Wales Rail Holyhead - Crewe		Terminus
Bangor		Transport for Wales Rail Holyhead - Cardiff Central		Terminus
Bangor		Avanti West Coast London Euston - Holyhead		Terminus
	Ferry services
Terminus		Irish Ferries Ferry		Dublin Port
Terminus		Irish Ferries high-speed catamaran		Dublin Port
Terminus		Stena Line Ferry		Dublin Port

Further reading

• 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

• Train timesandstation informationfor Holyhead railway station fromNational Rail