North Llanrwst railway station

North Llanrwst railway station (Welsh: Gogledd Llanrwst) is the only train passing station on the Conwy Valley Line between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales. The station has had several previous names, including Llanrwst and Trefriw, Llanrwst and Llanrwst North. This station is also a request stop.

North Llanrwst
Welsh: Gogledd Llanrwst
Location
Place	Llanrwst
Local authority	Conwy
Coordinates	53.144°N 3.803°W / 53.144; -3.803
Grid reference	SH795622
Operations
Station code	NLR
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	1,962
2015/16	1,220
2016/17	1,582
2017/18	1,942
2018/19	2,572
History
Original company	Conway and Llanrwst Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
17 June 1863	Station opened as Llanrwst
6 April 1868	Station resited
April 1884	Renamed Llanrwst and Trefriw
6 May 1974	Renamed Llanrwst
29 July 1989	Renamed Llanrwst North
December 2004[1]	Renamed North Llanrwst
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at North Llanrwst from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

Disused grade-II station building (May 2015)

The station and its goods yard were opened on 17 June 1863 as the Llanrwst terminus of the Conway and Llanrwst Railway[2] that was taken over by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1867 and extended to Betws-y-Coed in 1869. To accommodate the southward extension, the station was resited on 6 April 1868. This station was renamed Llanrwst and Trefriw in April 1884,[2] reverting to its original name Llanrwst during the British Railways era, on 6 May 1974.[2][3] The grade-II station buildings are largely intact, though mostly disused, and there is a working signal box north of the station at which trains must stop to exchange tokens. The extensive station yard is now used for light industry.

The platforms heights here are low and wooden boarding steps were provided on both platforms for many years - Easy Access ramps have now been fitted to improve accessibility on each side. Shelters are provided on both platforms, along with digital CIS displays a pay phone and timetable posters to offer train running information. The platforms are linked via a barrow crossing, so mobility-impaired and wheelchair users are advised not to use this without assistance.[4]

The Gower footbridge and path linking North Llanrwst station with Trefriw

The village of Trefriw (noted for its spa, first used by the Romans), is still served by the station by way of the Gower suspension footbridge over the River Conwy, a rural walk of about one mile.

Llanrwst has a second railway station, located more centrally in the town, and this was opened on 29 July 1989; to allow the new station to take the name Llanrwst, this station was renamed Llanrwst North on the same day;[2] it has since been amended to North Llanrwst.

Services

Five southbound and six northbound trains call on request Mon-Sat (approximately every three hours), with four trains each way on Sundays.[5]

In March 2019 however, services were suspended and replaced by buses due to major flood damage to the track and formation at multiple locations on the line caused by Storm Gareth on 16 March 2019. Repairs took several months to complete,[6] and services resumed on 18 July 2019, ahead of the 2019 National Eisteddfod which was being staged in Llanwrst. Additional trains were provided for the Eisteddfod, terminating at North Llanrwst, and a special steam charter was run to celebrate the lines re-opening.[7] Further storm damage to the north (this time from Storm Ciara) in February 2020 has once again seen services suspended, with buses replacing trains until September 2020.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Dolgarrog		Transport for Wales Conwy Valley Line		Llanrwst

References

1. "North Llanrwst Rail Station". Cylex UK.
2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 146. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. 120 (879): 363. ISSN 0033-8923.
4. North Llanrwst station facilities National Rail Enquiries
5. Table 102 National Rail timetable, December 2019
6. Flood damaged Conwy Valley line could be closed for months itv.com news article 25 March 2019; Retrieved 26 March 2019
7. Special Timetable for the Eistedffod in Llanrwst railwaydata.co.uk Retrieved 20 August 2019

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bala to Llandudno. West Sussex: Middleton Press. fig. 89. ISBN 9781906008871. OCLC 668198724.

External links

• Train times and station information for North Llanrwst railway station from National Rail
• Conwy Valley Railway