Prestatyn railway station

Prestatyn railway station on the North Wales Coast Line serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales. The station was built on the Chester and Holyhead Railway (CHR) line and opened on 1 May 1848. The coming of the railway is credited with bringing large numbers of tourists and prosperity to the town. When the CHR was acquired by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR), further expansion occurred at Prestatyn and the station became a junction for a branch line to Dyserth. In the 1890s, the LNWR built the current station. Passenger numbers dipped significantly during the mid 20th century. After British Rail tried to close the station in the 1960s, the line and station were rationalised but remained operational. In 1979, the station was renovated. It is managed by Transport for Wales and served by their services from , and Manchester to Holyhead and Llandudno; other services are provided by Avanti West Coast to London Euston. Prestatyn station was built by the Chester and Holyhead Railway (CHR) on its line from Chester to the port of Holyhead on Anglesey. The route, engineered by Robert Stephenson, ran mainly along the coastline of North Wales. A contract for the station's construction was awarded to the Hinson Brothers. On 1 May 1848, Prestatyn's first station opened when the CHR opened its line through to Bangor. It comprised a single slate-roofed two-storey brick building and adjacent shed on its westbound platform. The site is roughly 100 m to the east of the present station. The station was the junction for a branch line to Dyserth opened by the LNWR in 1869 and intended for mineral traffic. In 1905, a passenger service was started that lasted until 1930, when it was withdrawn by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). The line remained open to serve a quarry until its closure in 1973. Since then, much of the former line has been reused as a footpath. On 1 January 1859, the North Wales Coast Line and its stations became a part on the London & North Western Railway (LNWR), who had acquired the CHR.