Betws-y-Coed railway station
Betws-y-coed Conwy Wales | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 53°05′31″N 3°48′04″W / 53.092°N 3.801°W |
Grid reference | SH795565 |
Managed by | Transport for Wales Rail |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | BYC |
Classification | DfT category F1 |
History | |
Original company | London and North Western Railway |
Key dates | |
6 April 1868[1] | Opened as Bettws-y-Coed |
8 June 1953[1] | Renamed |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 35,364 |
2019/20 | 23,126 |
2020/21 | 3,040 |
2021/22 | 24,716 |
2022/23 | 33,322 |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Betws-y-coed railway station is on the
The passenger train service is operated by Transport for Wales Rail and is marketed as the Conwy Valley Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Dyffryn Conwy).
The railway station is also an important bus interchange. It is used by the
Station history
The Conwy Valley line was constructed by the
Extensive passenger and goods facilities were however provided at Betws-y-Coed, where the station, which was opened in 1868, adjoins the London to Holyhead A5 turnpike road and was thus ideally located to serve many isolated communities in Snowdonia and also the rapidly developing tourist industry. In the LMS timetables the station was listed as "Bettws-y-Coed - Station for Capel Curig".[2]
There was originally a passing loop with full length up and down platforms. A camping coach was positioned here by the London Midland Region from 1955 to 1959; this coach was replaced in 1960 by a Pullman camping coach which was here until 1970.[3]
The loop was removed in the 1960s but the footbridge that previously gave access to the now removed down platform has been retained and provides access to the
The comprehensive range of passenger station buildings have been preserved and sympathetically adapted for use as a cafe, coffee shop, holiday apartments and retail outlets. The station now functions as an unstaffed halt. The platform was refurbished and a digital Passenger Information System installed in Spring 2009. Train running information is also provided via telephone and timetable poster boards.[4]
Services
Six trains each way per day call on Mondays to Saturdays (approximately every three hours), with four trains each way on Sundays.[5]
Services from this station were suspended following serious flood damage to the track and associated infrastructure resulting from the heavy rainfall associated with
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Llanrwst | Conwy Valley Line
|
Pont-y-Pant |
Village and surrounding area
Betws-y-Coed is an important tourist village and the station is centrally located beside the large village green. The district has magnificent scenery and there are several spectacular waterfalls, including the much visited Swallow Falls, which are served by hourly Sherpa buses from Betws-y-Coed station. There are several large hotels in the village. Next to the station is the Conwy Valley Railway Museum.
References
- ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 33.
- ^ Quick 2022, p. 79.
- ^ McRae 1997, pp. 44–50.
- ^ Betws-y-Coed station facilities National Rail Enquiries Retrieved 31 May 2017
- ^ Table 102 National Rail timetable, December 2019
- ^ Flood damaged Conwy Valley line could be closed for months itv.com news article 25 March 2019; Retrieved 26 March 2019
- ^ Flood-hit Conwy Valley line set to reopen next monthITV News article 25-06-2019; Retrieved 25 June 2019
- ^ "Conwy Valley Line opens after £2.2m flood repairs". BBC, 28 September 2020.
Sources
- OL 11956311M.
- McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
- Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 November 2022.
Further reading
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bala to Llandudno. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 79-83. OCLC 668198724.
External links
- Conwy Valley railway museum
- Conwy Valley Railway
- The Old Railway Station - Retail facilities in the station building
- Train times and station information for Betws-y-Coed railway station from National Rail