Colwyn Bay railway station

Colwyn Bay railway station (Welsh: Bae Colwyn) is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line.

Colwyn Bay

Welsh: Bae Colwyn
Colwyn Bay Station in July 2014
LocationColwyn Bay, Conwy County Borough
Wales
Coordinates53.296°N 3.725°W / 53.296; -3.725
Grid referenceSH851791
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCWB
ClassificationDfT category D
History
OpenedOctober 1849
Passengers
2015/16 0.286 million
 Interchange  4,224
2016/17 0.278 million
 Interchange  4,385
2017/18 0.269 million
 Interchange  4,730
2018/19 0.279 million
 Interchange  5,129
2019/20 0.271 million
 Interchange  635
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station platforms in June 1986

Colwyn Bay station was opened by the Chester and Holyhead Railway in October 1849; originally named Colwyn, it was renamed Colwyn Bay in 1876.[1] The station is in an unusual location straddling a curved section of track. As a result, the track bed is cambered so that trains come to rest at the station platform at a significant tilt. In recent years enforcement action was taken by the Environment Agency when fuel oil spilled from the over-filled tanks of a diesel engine and percolated through the track bed and flowed onto the nearby beach, polluting it.

The current station consists of the platform faces that served the former fast lines (the section from here to Llandudno Junction was quadruple track until the 1960s). The platform faces to the slow lines were taken out of service and that on the "down" (westbound) side has been obliterated as a result of the construction of the A55 [2] dual carriageway (along with the old station goods yard). The main station building stands on what was the down island platform.

Facilities

Ticket barriers are in operation at this station, as are special blue lights in the toilets to stop people abusing intravenous drugs. The station has a footbridge and sheltered seating, along with digital information screens and automatic train announcements on both platforms. Lifts provide full step-free access to each side. The ticket office is staffed all week, from 06:15 until 19:15 on weekdays and from 11:15 to 18:15 on Sundays.[3]

Services

Mondays to Saturdays:

On Sundays there is a basic hourly service each way, westbound to Holyhead and eastbound to Crewe plus four through trains to London. A limited number of trains to Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester also operate.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Abergele & Pensarn   Transport for Wales
North Wales Coast Line
  Llandudno Junction
Rhyl   Transport for Wales
Premier Service
  Llandudno Junction
Rhyl   Avanti West Coast
Holyhead/Bangor–London Euston
  Llandudno Junction

References

  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 67. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Images of diversion of North Wales Coast Railway at Colwyn Bay to accommodate A55
  3. Colwyn Bay station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 11 January 2017
  4. Table 81 National Rail timetable, December 2019

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Rhyl to Bangor. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 30-39. ISBN 9781908174154. OCLC 859594415.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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