Llanfairfechan railway station

Llanfairfechan railway station serves the small seaside town of Llanfairfechan, Wales, and is located on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line 51 ¹⁄₄ miles (82.5 km) west of Chester.

Llanfairfechan
Location
Place	Llanfairfechan
Local authority	Conwy
Coordinates	53.257°N 3.983°W / 53.257; -3.983
Grid reference	SH677751
Operations
Station code	LLF
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	11,982
2015/16	13,002
2016/17	13,258
2017/18	14,040
2018/19	15,566
History
Key dates	Opened 1 May 1860 (1 May 1860)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Llanfairfechan from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

It was opened on 1 May 1860 by the London and North Western Railway, some twelve years after the line serving it.[1] It was provided with a goods yard, signal box and a sizeable station building on the eastbound platform. A camping coach was positioned here by the London Midland Region from 1960 to 1964.[2] Goods traffic ceased here in June 1964, but it remained open for passenger services. The station building was demolished in 1987, during construction work for the A55 North Wales Coast dual carriageway which runs next to the railway at this location - the site was also altered (the retaining wall for the road backs directly onto the eastbound platform) and the station temporarily closed as a consequence of this.[1] The station reopened once the work was complete. The original station footbridge still stands, but the other surviving structures all date from the 1987 alterations.

Facilities

There are no permanent buildings left here now other than the footbridge and a stone shelter on each side, the station being unstaffed and a request stop. Tickets must be purchased from the guard on the train or prior to travel, as there is no ticket machine present. Train running details are offered via telephone, digital display screens or timetable poster boards. Though the footbridge has steps, the station is fully accessible for wheelchair or mobility-impaired users via ramps from the West Shore or the footpath from the town centre next to the A55.[3]

Services

There are regular (two-hourly, with some extras) through services to Chester via Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn and Flint. After arrival at Chester, most trains go forward to either Cardiff Central or Birmingham International.[4]

There is also a limited Sunday service, which mainly runs to/from Crewe.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Penmaenmawr		Transport for Wales North Wales Coast Line		Bangor

References

1. Disused Stations - Llanfairfechan Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 30 May 2017
2. McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. pp. 41 & 50. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
3. Llanfairfechan station facilitiesNational Rail Enquiries
4. Table 81 National Rail timetable, May 2019

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Rhyl to Bangor. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 90-95. ISBN 9781908174154. OCLC 859594415.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Train times and station information for Llanfairfechan railway station from National Rail
• Photos of Station prior to and after the 1987 alterations