Virgin Trains
Region North Wales Mid Wales South Wales National Network Route Sections Gazetteer of Stations About Wales	Virgin operates trains from London Euston to Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. In Wales it operates from Euston via Crewe to Holyhead, where it links with the ferry across the Irish Sea to Dun Laoghaire, in the Republic of Ireland. There is also one daily service between York and Swansea and return.	Preserved: Standard gauge Narrow gauge WalesRails: The Grand Tour Official Websites What's New Back to Welcome page

Please note:
Stations listed below are those served by Virgin Trains services.
For complete list and gazetteer of other stations on the North Wales route, see Arriva Trains Wales.

The stations are shown in order from Crewe. Journey times from Crewe are given, together with journey times from Holyhead in brackets.
Chester 25 mins (97)
To the Romans, the fortress of Deva, and there is a reminder of that phase of its history in the wall which encloses the city. The two mile walk along the wall is a must and takes in relics of later eras: Viking, Norman, the Middle Ages, the English Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution.
There is the largest Roman Amphitheatre every uncovered in Britain with space for 7,000 spectators; In 'The Rows' are found half-timbered shops which date back to the Middle ages, while the relatively-modern ornate clock in Eastgate is said to be the most photographed timepiece after Big Ben in London, since it was erected in 1897. Parts of the Cathedral date back to 1092, while the museum of broadcasting is of more recent vintage. There are boat trips along the Dee, a Zoo, and horse racing at the historic Roodee. Throughout the year, there are various festivals to cater for all tastes, including film, boating, transport, youth, music, and the Civil War Spectacular held in August.
Prestatyn 49mins (70)
Like Rhyl, it rival just along the coast, Prestatyn vies to attract the most visitors to its resort. Latest attraction is the Ffrith Beach Pleasure Gardens - with boating lake, go-karts and children's activity centre. There is also the Nova Centre with a selection of water-based entertainments which is open all year round. Sport is catered for at the North Wales Bowling Centre, and the golf clubs which separate Prestatyn and Rhyl.
Rhyl 55mins (64)
Though Prestatyn may disagree, Rhyl considers itself the premier holiday resort of the North Wales coast, with sandy beaches, funfair, the 260-ft Skytower (left) and the Sun Centre, an indoor all-weather leisure facility in the style of a tropical lagoon, replete with palm trees and surf.
Colwyn Bay 68 mins (52)
A busy seaside resort in its own right, a three-mile promenade links Colwyn Bay with the resort of Rhos-on-Sea. Its sheltered location and mild climate, makes it a year-round attraction, equally popular in the winter months.
Llandudno Junction 76 mins (45)
Principally the interchange station with services between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Conwy
Three bridges cross the Conway estuary: Telford's Suspension Bridge, Stephenson's Tubular Railway Bridge with its castellations at either end, and the newer road bridge carrying the A55. On the far shore, the train is dwarfed by the battlements of Edward the First's Conway Castle and, rather less so, by the medieval walls which have enclosed the town since the end of the 13th century. The town claims the oldest house in Britain, and also the smallest - the latter, a former fisherman's cottage, has a six-ft frontage, is ten-ft high and measures just over 8ft from front to back. Aberconway House dates from the 15th century, while Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan palace of 1580 houses the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art.
Bangor 94 mins (28)
A university city facing Anglesey across the Menai Strait, its history as a religious site can be traced back to the fifth century. Over the ensuing centuries, battles and uprisings have taken their toll, and the present cathedral dates from the twelfth century, most of what can be seen results from a number of restorations and rebuildings between 1866 and 1971. It contains a number of important relics and documents, including the Mostyn Christ, a C16th wooden statue showing Jesus bound and wearing a crown of thorns, seated on a rock. In the grounds of the Bishop's Palace is the Bible Garden, filled with the plants, shrubs and trees which are mentioned in the holy book. In the upper part of the town, the University (right) was formed as part of the University of Wales in 1884, though the present buildings date from 1911. Theatre Gwynedd is part of the University complex, where plays in Welsh and English are staged. North of the city centre, the pier stretches far out into the Menai Strait, half way to Anglesey.
Holyhead is reached via the 1,250-yard long Stanley Embankment which joins Holy Island - on which Holyhead stands - with Anglesey.
The station adjoins the Irish Ferry to Dun Laoghaire, on the outskirts of Dublin. Holy Island boasts some spectacular cliff scenery, an ideal location for the Roman fortress of Caergybi around which the town developed, and from which it takes its Welsh name. In the town, parts of the medieval church date from the 13th century, but is built on the foundations of a monastery founded in 550 by St Cybi. Restored in the late 1870s it features the work of pre-Raphaelites Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. There are spectacular views and an Iron Age fort at the top of Holyhead Mountain to the north of the town.

North-east England to Swansea

Virgin Trains also operates a Monday-Saturday morning service between Newcastle/York and Swansea, and a late-afternoon return service to Leeds/York. Stations served include Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham and Bristol Temple Meads, before the train passes through the Severn Tunnel to enter Wales, where the first stop is Newport

Stations between Newport and Swansea

Please note:
Stations listed below are those served by Virgin Trains services. For complete list and gazetteer of other stations on the South Wales route, see Wales and West.

Newport
Straddling the River Usk, Newport was the principal port of the old county of Monmouthshire. The central area contains the shopping centre, library and museum, and cinemas and theatres; and is surrounded by steep hills. The town was at the centre of the Chartist rebellion of 1839, and there are many reminders of the uprising. John Frost Square is dedicated to the leader of the rebellion, and is dominated by Andy Plant's massive sculptural clock called "In the Nick of Time." On the hour, the 31-ft tall, stainless steel construction emits smoke and splits asunder with alarming clanks and groans while devils and skeletons appear at various windows.
One of Newport's more famous literary figures is the tramp-poet W. H. Davies, and there is a sculpture in the Square based on one of his most famous lines: What is this life if full of care....
At the top of Stow Hill is St Woolos Cathedral, while down river is one of the unique features of the town: the recently restored Transporter Bridge (pictured). One of only three in the world, cars and passengers are taken across the river in a gondola suspended by cables from a motorised overhead trolley.

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Cardiff
Cardiff is also served by Valley Line trains operated by the Cardiff Railway, First Great Western and Wales and West railway companies.

Cardiff...
...is the gateway to the coast and Valley areas of south east Wales.
A city since 1905, and the capital of Wales since 1955, Cardiff is celebrating both anniversaries this year.
The city stands at the mouth of the River Taff (part of which was diverted in the mid-nineteenth century to clear a site for the what is now Cardiff Central station). Noted for its Victorian arcades and pedestrianised shopping areas, it also offers top class facilities for sport, theatre and the cinema.
Cardiff Castle is presently undergoing an £8m refurbishment, to include a new visitor centre. The castle has Roman and Norman connections, but, apart from Roman remains at the base of the south east walls and the Norman Keep, what you see is mostly a Victorian reconstruction. Nearby, the civic centre is considered among the finest in Europe, and incorporates the museum, law courts, the former Welsh Office (now the secretariat of the Welsh Assembly), university buildings and the City Hall. With a referendum in September 1997 narrowly voting for the establishment of a Welsh Assembly to govern Wales, the City Hall was one of the venues under consideration to house the body, but the Assembly - which first sat on June 1 1999 - is presently housed in Crickhowell House in Cardiff Bay (see below). Behind City Hall is Alexandra Gardens with its imposing War Memorial commemorating two World Wars and more recent conflicts.
In the city centre, the other building of great antiquity is St John's Church, dating from the thirteenth century.
There are several malls off the pedestrianised shopping area, which also has St David's Hall - renowned for concerts by top-class orchestras and entertainers - and the Cardiff International Arena, the venue for conferences, pop concerts, ice shows, and the like. The New Theatre celebrated its centenary a few years ago, and stages plays and other productions, including those by the internationally-celebrated Welsh National Opera, until the WNO moved into its new home: the Wales Millennium Centre for the Performing Arts (see below).
Close to the city centre, on the banks of the river, the Millennium Stadium (left) is the new home of Welsh Rugby. Opened for a Wales v South Africa friendly in June 1999, it took on an international importance when it staged early rounds of the Rugby World Cup in October, and the Final on 6 November of the same year. It is now used to stage Wales' home games in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, international football matches, concerts and other high-profile events. While Wembley Stadium is being developed it also been the venue of prestigious football matches, including the Worthington and FA Cup Finals. A very versatile building, it also stages speedway, concerts and religious conventions.
A mile to the south, the Cardiff Bay development is transforming the derelict docklands area into a leisure, residential and light-industrial complex, while the barrage which dams the mouths of the Taff and Ely rivers was brought into operation on November 4 1999 to create a 500-acre freshwater lake.
To the north of the city, is Llandaff Cathedral, which has been a place of worship for more than 1,400 years. Partly destroyed by bombs during World War II, the cathedral was rebuilt and rededicated in 1958, its nave overarched by the sculpture of Christ in Majesty by Jacob Epstein.
On the city's western boundary is the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagan's, which recreates the Welsh way of life in authentic buildings from all over Wales. Dismantled from their original locations and reassembled at St Fagan's - itself a manor house dating from the Civil War era - they provide a base for many practitioners of old crafts such as pottery and woodcarving, and also includes a blacksmith's forge.

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Bay station is reached via a short spur from Cardiff Queen Street with a journey time of three minutes, and has a 15 minute service frequency at 12, 27, 42 and 57 minutes past the hour between 6.42am and 11.42pm Monday to Saturday.

From Cardiff Bay to Queen Street, Monday to Saturday, trains run at 4, 19, 34 and 49 minutes past the hour between 6.49am and 11.49pm.

On Sundays trains run to Cardiff Bay at 10.57am, then every 15 minutes between 11.12am and 4.27pm;  with return journeys at 4, 19, 34 and 49 minutes past the hour between 11.04am and 4.34pm.

The Cardiff Bay area has been developed as a waterfront park with leisure, residential and light-industrial complexes on reclaimed derelict dockland, and is the start of the Taff Trail which can be followed as far as Brecon, 57 miles away.
The major feature is the Barrage which can be reached by road train from its stop outside the car park in Stuart Street.
The Welsh assembly meets in Crickhowell House (pictured left) while a new debating chamber has been built alongside. Close by, the Pierhead Building is a striking terracotta edifice that was once the headquarters of the Bute Dock Company, which opened the first of the docks in 1839, and was the prime influence behind the Taff Vale Railway Company. It is now used as the Visitor Centre for the National Assembly.
Both are now put in the shade by the new Wales Millennium Centre for the Performing Arts (right, with the former Bute Dock and Railway Company headquarters in the right foreground), which opened in November 2004. It is the home of Welsh National Opera and seven other performing arts groups including the Urdd, the Welsh organisation for the youth of Wales. Outside the Millennium Centre is Roald Dahl Place - named after the children's writer who was born in Cardiff - built on the site of the basin of the Bute West Dock, now used for street theatre and open-air concerts. The steel column with water cascading down it will be recognised by fans of Torchwood - the spin-off from the successful BBC Wales television series Dr Who, both of which are filmed largely in Cardiff and the surrounding area - as supposedly the entrance to Torchwood.
A coffee bar and art gallery has been established in the Norwegian Seamen's Church where Roald Dahl was baptised as a child. A short distance away is 'The Tube' - a cigar-shaped structure which houses the Cardiff Bay visitors' centre, and was the base for the Spirit of Cardiff, a powerboat which attempted the fastest circumnavigation of the world in 2002. The target was almost 25,000 miles in 50 days, calling at 26 different countries, but a series of misadventures culminating in a heart attack suffered by one of the crew, led to the attempt being abandoned, though not before a number of records were broken,
Tied up permanently at the quay alongside The Tube is the Helwick Lightship, which was stationed off the Gower Peninsular guarding a treacherous sandbank 50 miles northwest of Cardiff, but is now used as a Christian Fellowship centre.
A little farther away, Techniquest is a unique hands-on science centre which demonstrates scientific principles and phenomena in colourful and surprising ways, while at Harry Ramsden's restaurant, it is claimed, are served the best fish and chip meals in the world.
The St David's Hotel is one of only two Five-Star rated establishment in the city. Mermaid Quay a is modern eating and shopping complex which also overlooks Plas Roald Dahl (Roald Dahl Place) an open arena where concerts are held and street artists often perform.
Boats and water taxis (pictured left) ply their trade around the bay and up-river as far as the Castle near the city centre. They will also land you on the Barrage itself, where you can see the massive sluice gates in operation.

Bridgend
A market town, Bridgend gives access to the Vale of Glamorgan, and has a number of medieval castle ruins in the area. Among these are Coity and Ogmore, the latter close to stepping stones across the River Ogmore which also gives access to the Glamorgan Coastal Path. Two miles from Bridgend is the village of Ewenny, with its pottery and Norman Priory. North of the town are the formerly industrialised valleys of Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore, while to the west is the traditional seaside resort of Porthcawl. Arriva Trains Wales run services into the Llynfi Valley serving stations to Maesteg. There are also connection with the Vale of Glamorgan line to Barry and Cardiff.

Port Talbot
Port Talbot is dominated by the steel works to the south and the oil refinery to the north, but beyond the industrialised areas there are many areas of beauty and interest. Aberavon, nearby, was once a seaside resort, but this function ceased soon after the closure of the railway from the Rhondda and Afan valleys, on the course of which, the Afan Country Park has been created. On the Aquadome watersport centre, is based the revival of the town as a leisure- based resort. Surfers are attracted to the beach area, where cross currents and straight-off-the Atlantic breezes sometimes whip up some fair waves.
Three miles east of the town, is fifth-century Margam Abbey, around which has been created Margam Country Park, which includes a boating lake and a one-acre maze. The abbey houses a remarkable collection of Celtic and medieval stone crosses.

Neath
Standing on the River Neath, the town has its origins in the Roman fortress of Nidum. An attractive market town, here is the ruin of the castle and Neath Abbey which was founded in 1129. Before the coming of the railways, the port was served by two canals - the Tennant and the Vale of Neath - the latter having being restored in its upper reaches.
Outside the town are the Aberdulais Falls with its restored tin plate works, and Cefn Coed Colliery Museum. Throughout the Vale of Neath, there are many waterfalls and cascades, principal among which are the Melincourt near Resolven (pictured), and Ysgwyd Gwladys (the Lady Fall) and Ysgwyd Einon Gam near Pontneathvaughan. Also reached by an hour's strenuous walk from Pontneathvaughan is Ysgwyd-yr-eira (the fall of snow), remarkable because it is possible to walk behind the fall from one side of the valley to the other.

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Swansea
Wales' second city, Swansea was extensively damaged during World War II. Over the years, the bomb damaged areas have been replaced with modern shops and houses, a process completed with redevelopment of defunct dockland to create the Maritime Quarter.
The city's university is located at Singleton Park, a public area which has a boating lake amongst its many attractions.
Swansea is the gateway to west Wales, but closer at hand is the Gower peninsular - the first region in Britain to be designated an area of outstanding natural beauty - and Mumbles, famed as the site of the world's first passenger railway, which used steam, diesel, electric - and even sail - power in its 153-year existence from 1807 until 1960. There are plans to resurrect the Railway using a revolutionary flywheel driven tram system, even though the original route has been developed as a promenade and cycleway.

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Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5 by Deryck Lewis. All rights reserved.
Page created November 2 1997; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated December 12 2005
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