Llanfairpwll railway station

Llanfairpwll railway station is a station on the North Wales Coast Line from London Euston to Holyhead, serving the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey.

Llanfairpwll
A passenger train pulling through the station, as viewed from the footbridge between the two platforms
Location
PlaceLlanfairpwll
Local authorityAnglesey
Coordinates53.221°N 4.209°W / 53.221; -4.209
Grid referenceSH525715
Operations
Station codeLPG
Managed byTransport for Wales
Owned byNetwork Rail
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryF2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 19,000
2015/16 18,482
2016/17 19,520
2017/18 20,604
2018/19 21,246
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Llanfairpwll from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

Opened in 1848 it was initially the terminus of the line from Holyhead before the opening of the Britannia Bridge to the mainland in 1850.[1] It suffered a catastrophic fire on 13 November 1865 and had to be completely re-constructed. It was closed in 1966 but reopened in 1970 due to the fire on the Britannia Bridge again as the terminus for trains from Holyhead, with a single wooden platform. It was again closed in January 1973 for four months and reopened with two non-wooden platforms. The station master's house was sold in 1994 to a private company and is now a warehouse shop. The footbridge between the two platforms (the only one on the island) and the signal box remain from the original configuration. However, a turntable, sidings and goods yard have disappeared, the latter two under a car park.[1]

The station is known for its longer name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, but this is a Victorian contrivance for the benefit of tourists[2] with no basis in historical usage. It comprises the full name of the village, plus local topographical details, plus the name of a neighbouring church etc. The actual longest railway station name in Wales (indeed the UK) is Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station.

Since 6th July 2020, trains have not called at the station due to the short platform and the inability to maintain social distancing between passengers and the guard when opening the train door.[3]

Facilities

The station is unstaffed and has no ticket provision - these must be bought on the train or prior to travel. Waiting shelters are provided on each platform and train running details offered via timetable posters and digital information screens (as can be seen from the accompanying station photograph). The station is not listed as accessible for mobility-impaired and wheelchair users on the National Rail Enquiries website.[4]

During April 2017, the upgrade of the footbridge was completed as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan. The footbridge, which is over 100 years old, was temporarily removed earlier in the year, to undergo a £395,000 upgrade, including specialist refurbishment and repairs at the Centregreat Rail workshop in Cardiff.[5]

Services

Trains usually stop every two hours in each direction. These are Transport for Wales services between Holyhead and Chester via Llandudno Junction and Prestatyn. These continue to Shrewsbury and then either Birmingham International or Cardiff Central, though a limited number run to/from Crewe instead.[6] There is a limited service (six to Holyhead, seven to Chester and beyond) on Sundays.

The station has very short platforms, only 40 yards (37 m) long.[7] As a result, only one door on the Transport for Wales services is unlocked by the conductor/guard for passengers. The stops are usually by Request stop

Preceding station   National Rail   Following station
Bangor
Transport for Wales Rail
North Wales Coast Line
  • The platform and station building
  • The former goods yard, now a car park
  • The signal box, a hundred yards or so up the line
  • The famous station sign, with a pronunciation guide for English speakers
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gollark: https://osmarks.tk/eternal-suffering
gollark: Theoretically I have an account I can't access until I'm 18 or something, but I have no idea how much is in there.
gollark: Yes, I am now richer than all you uncool people.

See also

References
  1. Jones, Geraint: Anglesey Railways, pages 27–28. Carreg Gwalch, 2005
  2. See Slater's Directory.
  3. https://tfwrail.wales/covid-19/changes-train-times
  4. Llanfair P.G station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  5. Bridge Upgrade for Llanfair PG Railways Illustrated issue 173 July 2017 page 14.
  6. Table 81 National Rail timetable, December 2018
  7. Permissible line speeds – London North Western Region (North) Archived 18 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Network Rail. Page 104

Further reading
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2011). Bangor to Holyhead. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 26-35. ISBN 9781908174017. OCLC 795179106.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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