Llanfairfechan railway station

Llanfairfechan railway station serves the 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
General information
Location	Llanfairfechan, Conwy Wales
Coordinates	53.257°N 3.983°W / 53.257; -3.983
Grid reference	SH677751
Managed by	Transport for Wales Rail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	LLF
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	1 May 1860
Passengers
2019/20	15,792
2020/21	5,592
2021/22	23,216
2022/23	27,962
2023/24	38,910
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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. 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

Llanfairfechan is served by Transport for Wales services only.

As of the December 2023 timetable change, there are 11 trains per weekday to Holyhead, service frequency varies between being 1 train per hour (tph), 1 train per 2 hours and 1 train per 3 hours. On Saturdays there are 10 trains per day to Holyhead and on Sundays there are 8 trains per day.^[4]

There is typically a two-hourly service starting at Holyhead which runs to Birmingham International via Chester and Shrewsbury.

Other Chester-bound services usually run to Cardiff Central, Crewe, Manchester Airport or terminate at Shrewsbury.

Through services to Chester run via Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn and Flint.^[5]

There is also a limited Sunday service, which mainly runs to/from Crewe in the mid-afternoon to evenings.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Penmaenmawr		Transport for Wales North Wales Main Line		Bangor (Gwynedd)

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). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. pp. 41 & 50. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
3. Llanfairfechan station facilitiesNational Rail Enquiries
4. "Wales and UK train timetables". Transport for Wales.
5. 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.

External links

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