Holyhead railway station
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, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Holyhead Railway Station, Holy Island (507270) (32932192272).jpg , borough =
Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...
,
Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
, country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name =
Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...
, grid_position = , owned =
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...
, manager =
Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
, platforms = 3 , code = HHD , classification = DfT category E , original =
Chester and Holyhead Railway The Chester and Holyhead Railway was an early railway company conceived to improve transmission of Government dispatches between London and Ireland, as well as ordinary railway objectives. Its construction was hugely expensive, chiefly due to ...
, pregroup =
London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
, postgroup =
London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...
, years = , events = First station opened , years1 = 15 May 1851 , events1 = Station resited , years2 = 1 January 1866 , events2 = Station resited , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the
Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...
, embedded = Holyhead railway station ( cy, Gorsaf reilffordd Caergybi) serves the Welsh town of
Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...
( cy, Caergybi) on
Holy Island, Anglesey Holy Island ( cy, Ynys Gybi, 'the island of (Saint) Cybi') is an island () on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Wales, from which it is separated by the Cymyran Strait. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of ...
. The station is the western terminus of the
North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir Gogledd Cymru), also known as the North Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell Gogledd Cymru or cy, label=none, Prif Linell y Gogledd), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire, ...
west of and is managed by
Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
. It connects with the
Port of Holyhead 300px, Just inside the 'New' harbour at Holyhead port., alt=Port of Holyhead From geograph.org.uk 8 October 2007 The Port of Holyhead ( cy, Porthladd Caergybi) is a commercial and ferry port in Anglesey, Wales, handling more than 2 million pass ...
ferry terminal. The station is connected to the town centre by a stainless steel pedestrian/cycle bridge named The Celtic Gateway ( cy, Porth Celtaidd).


History

The first station in Holyhead was opened by the
Chester and Holyhead Railway The Chester and Holyhead Railway was an early railway company conceived to improve transmission of Government dispatches between London and Ireland, as well as ordinary railway objectives. Its construction was hugely expensive, chiefly due to ...
on 1 August 1848, but this was replaced by the second on 15 May 1851. The present station was opened by the
London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
on 17 January 1866 and 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 a
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
clock turret which was unveiled on 17 June 1878 by
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
to mark completion of old harbour extension. The clock is by J. B. Joyce & Co of 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 by
Avanti West Coast Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise. During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
services to
London Euston Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city rail ...
. Most
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) cons ...
DMU services use platform two. Platform three is outside the train shed and is used by the early morning ''
Premier Service The ''Premier Service'' is a passenger train service operated by Transport for Wales Rail between Holyhead and Cardiff in Wales. History On 15 December 2008, the ''Premier Service'' commenced operating between Holyhead and Cardiff Central. Ori ...
'' to Cardiff 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 to
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. It has since been demolished and is now used as a car parking area for the
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major u ...
ferry service. Passenger ships previously used to berth in the inner harbour next to Platform 1, this ceased when the port was re-developed.
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major u ...
built 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

The station is fully staffed, with a ticket office in the main ferry terminal which is manned 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

Holyhead is served by a basic Transport for Wales hourly service throughout the week (although less frequently on winter Sundays) to
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
with services continuing to Birmingham International and Cardiff Central on alternate hours. A limited number of trains (mostly early morning and late evening) run to/from Crewe, whilst two services operate to
Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
on weekdays only. Most Sunday services run to/from
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
.
Avanti West Coast Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise. During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
operate services to
London Euston Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city rail ...
and
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
via the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. 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 the
Port of Holyhead 300px, Just inside the 'New' harbour at Holyhead port., alt=Port of Holyhead From geograph.org.uk 8 October 2007 The Port of Holyhead ( cy, Porthladd Caergybi) is a commercial and ferry port in Anglesey, Wales, handling more than 2 million pass ...
, where sailings to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
are operated by Irish Ferries and Stena Line. Up to September 2014 Stena Line operated a high-speed service to
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...
, a suburb 12km south of Dublin City Centre.


References


Further reading

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External links

{{Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Railway stations in Anglesey DfT Category E stations Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1851 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1851 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1866 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1866 Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Rail Railway stations served by Avanti West Coast Railway stations serving harbours and ports in the United Kingdom Holyhead 1866 establishments in Wales Grade II listed buildings in Anglesey Stations on the West Coast Main Line