Llanfairpwll railway station
Llanfairpwll  | |
|---|---|
|
A passenger train pulling through the station, as viewed from the footbridge between the two platforms | |
| Location | |
| Place | Llanfairpwll |
| Local authority | Anglesey |
| Grid reference | SH525715 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | LPG |
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Owned by | Network Rail |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | F2 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 17,826 |
| 2012/13 |
17,926 |
| 2013/14 |
 17,564 |
| 2014/15 |
19,000 |
| 2015/16 |
18,482 |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Llanfairpwll from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Llanfairpwll railway station is a station on the North Wales Coast Line from London Euston to Holyhead on Anglesey, serving the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Wales.
Opened in 1848, it suffered a catastrophic fire on 13 November 1865 and had to be totally re-constructed. It was closed in 1966 but reopened in 1970 due to the fire on the Britannia Bridge as the terminus for trains from Holyhead, with a single wooden platform. It was again closed in January 1973 for four months and reopened with two non-wooden platforms. The station master's house was sold in 1994 to a private company and is now a warehouse shop. The footbridge between the two platforms (the only one on the island) and the signal box remain from the original configuration. However, a turntable, sidings and goods yard have disappeared, the latter two under a car park.[1]
The station is known for its longer name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysilio-gogogoch, but this is a Victorian contrivance for the benefit of tourists[2] with no basis in historical usage. It comprises the full name of the village, plus local topographical details, plus the name of a neighbouring church etc. The hyphens are usually omitted. The actual longest railway station name in Wales (indeed the UK) is Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station.
Facilities
The station is unstaffed and has no ticket provision - these must be bought on the train or prior to travel. Waiting shelters are provided on each platform and train running details offered via timetable posters and digital information screens (as can be seen from the accompanying station photograph). The station is not listed as accessible for mobility-impaired and wheelchair users on the National Rail Enquiries website.[3]
During April 2017, the upgrade of the footbridge was completed as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan. The footbridge, which is over 100 years old, was temporarily removed earlier in the year, to undergo a £395,000 upgrade, including specialist refurbishment and repairs at the Centregreat Rail workshop in Cardiff.[4]
Services
Although famous for having the longest station name in the UK, trains usually stop (every two hours) only on request. These are Arriva Trains Wales services between Holyhead and Chester via Llandudno Junction and Prestatyn. These continue to Shrewsbury and then either Birmingham International or Cardiff Central, though a limited number run to/from Crewe instead.[5] There is a limited service (six to Holyhead, seven to Chester and beyond)) on Sundays.
The station has very short platforms, only 40 yards (37 m) long.[6]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arriva Trains Wales |
Gallery
The platform and station building
The former goods yard, now a car park
The signal box, a hundred yards or so up the line
The famous station sign, with a pronunciation guide for English speakers
See also
- Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station – the station with the longest officially used name in Great Britain.
- Gorsafawddacha'idraigodanheddogleddollônpenrhynareurdraethceredigion – a station name contrived to be longer than Llanfairpwll
- Longest place names in the English language
References
- ↑ Jones, Geraint: Anglesey Railways, pages 27–28. Carreg Gwalch, 2005
- ↑ See Slater's Directory.
- ↑ Llanfair P.G station facilities National Rail Enquiries
- ↑ Bridge Upgrade for Llanfair PG Railways Illustrated issue 173 July 2017 page 14.
- ↑ Table 81 National Rail timetable, May 2017
- ↑ Permissible line speeds – London North Western Region (North) Network Rail. Page 104
Further reading
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2011). Bangor to Holyhead. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 26-35. ISBN 9781908174017. OCLC 795179106.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Llanfairpwll railway station. |
- Train times and station information for Llanfairpwll railway station from National Rail
- Slater's Directory of North & Mid Wales, 1895 uses all three of the short names for the village – and does not mention the long form.
- Video footage of Llanfair PG Railway Station
Railway stations in Anglesey | |
|---|---|
| North Wales Coast Line | |
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Coordinates: 53°13′16″N 4°12′32″W / 53.221°N 4.209°W