Valley railway station

Valley railway station (Welsh: Gorsaf reilffordd y Dyffryn) is a railway station that serves the village of Valley in Anglesey, Wales. It is the last station before the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line at Holyhead. It also serves the nearby RAF base and Anglesey Airport.

Valley
Welsh: Y Dyffryn
Location
PlaceValley
Local authorityAnglesey
Coordinates53.281°N 4.563°W / 53.281; -4.563
Grid referenceSH291791
Operations
Station codeVAL
Managed byTransport for Wales
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryF2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 16,660
2015/16 16,006
2016/17 15,062
2017/18 14,742
2018/19 14,512
History
October 1849Station opened
14 February 1966Station closed
15 March 1982Station reopened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Valley from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History
The station, signal, signal box and level crossing at Valley (March 2019)

Opened in 1849, there was a small goods yard for livestock and a siding for a nearby corn mill. Improvements during the 19th century included extension to the station buildings in 1870 and lengthening of the platforms in 1889. In 1962 transfer sidings were put in place near the station used for the dispatch by rail of spent fuel from the Wylfa nuclear power station and in 1989 sidings for turning steam locomotives were put in place.[1]

The station was one of many small ones on the line closed in February 1966 as a result of the Beeching Axe, but it reopened to passenger trains in March 1982 after a sustained lobbying campaign by local residents.[2] The westbound platform and waiting room were both demolished after the initial closure, but replacements were constructed prior to reopening; the main buildings on the eastbound side survived during the closure period (along with the platform they stood on) and remain intact to this day.[3] The Grade II listed station signal box remains in use to supervise the B4545 level crossing here in addition to the aforementioned sidings.

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.[4]

Facilities

The station is unstaffed (like all those between Bangor and Holyhead) and has no ticket machine, so all tickets have to be purchased prior to travel or on the train. Train running information is offered via a telephone, digital CIS displays and timetable posters. Step-free access is provided to both sides via the level crossing.[5]

Services

There is a two-hourly weekday service in each direction from the station, with a few additional morning and evening departures. Most eastbound trains run to Wrexham General, Shrewsbury and Birmingham International, although a small number run to either Crewe or Cardiff.[6]

The Sunday service is limited (six to Holyhead, seven towards Chester) and runs mainly to/from Crewe with one service to Wrexham and Cardiff.

Trains only stop here on request.

Preceding station   National Rail   Following station
Transport for Wales
North Wales Coast Line
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References
  1. Jones, Geraint: Anglesey Railways, page 51. Carreg Gwalch, 2005
  2. Disused Stations - Valley Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 30 May 2017
  3. Valley railway station, Anglesey (2010) Wilson, L.S Geograph.org.uk; Retrieved 30 May 2017
  4. https://tfwrail.wales/covid-19/changes-train-times
  5. Valley station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  6. Table 81 National Rail timetable, December 2018 (Network Rail)

Further reading
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2011). Bangor to Holyhead. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 54-58. ISBN 9781908174017. OCLC 795179106.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Media related to Valley railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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