Colwyn Bay railway station

Colwyn Bay Welsh: Bae Colwyn
Colwyn Bay Station in August 2024
General information
Location	Colwyn Bay, Conwy County Borough Wales
Coordinates	53.296°N 3.725°W / 53.296; -3.725
Grid reference	SH851791
Managed by	Transport for Wales Rail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	CWB
Classification	DfT category D
History
Opened	October 1849
Passengers
2018/19	0.279 million
Interchange	5,129
2019/20	0.271 million
Interchange	635
2020/21	64,770
Interchange	113
2021/22	0.207 million
Interchange	523
2022/23	0.259 million
Interchange	241
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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

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. 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.

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 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.

Services

Mondays to Saturdays:

• Transport for Wales Rail operates an alternate hourly service between Holyhead and Birmingham International or Cardiff Central via Wrexham General. A few early morning/late evening trains start/finish at Crewe rather than Birmingham or Cardiff.
• Transport for Wales Rail also operates an hourly stopping service between Llandudno and Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Bank Quay. All of these services call at Abergele & Pensarn and Shotton, with some extended through to/from Manchester Airport.
• Avanti West Coast operates four trains per day each way from London Euston to Holyhead, as well as an additional northbound only service from London Euston to Bangor. There are two services each way per weekday from Crewe to Holyhead, with two extra northbound services, of which one terminates at Bangor. One northbound service originates from Birmingham New Street. There are three southbound services per day to London Euston on Saturdays, as well as one southbound service per day each way to Crewe, with two northbound trains to Holyhead from London Euston and two trains to Holyhead from Crewe. There is also a northbound only service from Crewe to Llandudno Junction.

On Sundays there is a basic hourly service each way, westbound to Holyhead and eastbound to Crewe. There are three services each way to London Euston, as well as a northbound only service from Crewe to Holyhead. A limited number of trains to Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester also operate.

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

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Rhyl to Bangor. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 30-39. ISBN 9781908174154. OCLC 859863415.

External links

Media related to Colwyn Bay railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Colwyn Bay railway station from National Rail