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81-753: West Coast Railway can refer to: Avanti West Coast , franchised railway operator in the United Kingdom West Coast Railways , railway spot-hire company in the United Kingdom West Coast Railway (Victoria) , defunct passenger train operator in Australia West Coast Railway Association , a heritage railway in British Columbia, Canada Railways on

162-619: A Wrexham General— London Marylebone service until 2011. The Borderlands Line, intersects the Shrewsbury—Chester line at Wrexham General, branching south to Wrexham Central (where it terminates ), and north to Bidston (Birkenhead) , and the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton. Bidston connects to the Wirral line , providing Merseyrail services, west to West Kirby , and east to Liverpool Central . The Cambrian Line forms

243-529: A cancellation rate of 8%. On 19 September 2023 DfT announced the award of a National Rail Contract (NRC) to First Trenitalia, starting on 15 October 2023 with a core term of three years (to 18 October 2026) and a maximum term of nine years (to 17 October 2032). Avanti West Coast currently operates the same services as Virgin Trains did on the West Coast Main Line . However, over the course of

324-582: A legal challenge to have it overturned. On 17 June 2020 the High Court ruled against the company and that the decision had been lawful. In August 2019, the DfT awarded the franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium with Avanti West Coast to commence operations on 8 December 2019. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into the award of the franchise following

405-455: A minimal service could be run due to the number of staff choosing not to work. On 29 June 2022, Avanti West Coast's staff voted in favour of further strikes. Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef , which accused the company of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for

486-821: A more convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional paper tickets. As of June 2024, Avanti West Coast weekday regular intercity routes are as follows: Avanti West Coast commenced operations having inherited the existing Super Voyager and Pendolino fleets from Virgin Trains . All the Class 221 Super Voyager s will be replaced by 23 new trains from the Hitachi A-train family with maintenance taking place at Alstom 's Oxley TRSMD depot in Wolverhampton . These trains are to be divided into thirteen Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and ten Class 807 electric multiple units . Although

567-612: A number of medieval castles (e.g. Criccieth , Dolbadarn , Dolwyddelan , Harlech, Caernarfon Castle, Beaumaris, Conwy) The area of North Wales is about 6,172 square kilometres, making it slightly larger than the country of Brunei, or the island of Bali. The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa) , in northwest Wales. North Wales does not have any motorways , with the only motorways in Wales being present in South Wales, and nearest motorways ( M53 and M56 ) being on

648-508: A peak of 48,000 passengers in 2003, before being discontinued in 2004. The public rail network of the region is largely split into two sections. These sections are centred around the two main west-east railway lines transversing the region, as there are currently no north-south railway lines wholly in the region. This is largely due to the mountainous regions of Snowdonia resting between the two lines, and low passenger numbers of north-south lines leading to their closure. The public rail network

729-545: A referral from the European Commission . In December 2019 it was announced that the CMA had approved the franchise's award; concerns that limited competition on some routes could lead to higher fares and less availability of cheaper tickets were offset by the agreement of price caps to be present in some regions. Services were curtailed during 2020 in response to the significant decline of passenger travel during

810-617: A stronghold of the Welsh language and a centre for Welsh national and cultural identity. The area is home to three of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales. These are Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal , the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales and, collectively, the Edwardian castles and town walls of the region which comprise those at Caernarfon , Beaumaris , Conwy and Harlech . It also shares with Powys and Ceredigion

891-702: Is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership . During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from

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972-485: Is amongst those operators impacted by the 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes , the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades. Its workers are amongst those who have voted to take industrial action due a dispute over pay and working conditions. In response, the company appealed for the general public to avoid the railways for non-essential travel on the affected dates, these being 21, 23, and 25 June, as only

1053-573: Is managed and maintained by Network Rail . Historically, the region had a more extensive rail network with more interconnectivity of the current lines and more connections to the south. However, due to falling passenger numbers, the emergence of automobiles and other factors, the region's railways came under review, resulting in the Beeching cuts to the network. Many former rail corridors of the once more extensive network were superseded by road infrastructure. The numerous heritage railways scattered across

1134-632: Is modern Powys, and parts of Wrexham and Flintshire, in addition to part of Shropshire. Through their over 800 year existences', their rulers acclaimed themselves to be the " King(s) of the Britons ", and Gwynedd would lead the charge in the subsequent formation of the Principality of Wales . The mountainous stronghold of Snowdonia formed the nucleus of that realm and would become the last redoubt of independent Medieval Wales — only overcome in 1283 by English forces under Edward I . To this day it remains

1215-625: Is part of the E-road network as E22 (until Ewloe , where it goes along the A494 into England), and is a dual carriageway , grade-separated, for its entire 88-mile length. A historically important road in the region is the A5 , a major road that was the primary link between the region and London (as the " London-Holyhead Trunk Road" ). The road crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge and

1296-884: Is regarded as a more scenic route, with its historical importance as a connection between London and the Port of Holyhead, superseded by the A55. Other roads transiting North Wales, from east to west include the A458 from Halesowen to Mallwyd , and the A494 from Dolgellau to Saughall (originally to Birkenhead ). The busiest north-south road travelling through the region is the A483 from Chester (originally from Manchester) through Wrexham and into England near Oswestry , before re-entering Montgomeryshire and passing Welshpool and Newtown, before continuing onto Swansea . Other major north-south roads include

1377-600: Is steeped in history, being a crucial component in Welsh medieval history , and was from the 5th to the 12th/13th centuries under the control of the influential Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd, and Powys following the end of Roman rule in Britain . The Kingdom of Gwynedd controlled the majority of what is now the commonly defined 6 counties of North Wales, including all of the North Wales coast, with Powys retaining control over what

1458-445: Is strongly used culturally for comparison to the more urban South Wales. The most common definition for statistical and administrative purposes of North Wales contains the 6 principal areas of: Isle of Anglesey , Conwy , Denbighshire , Flintshire , Gwynedd , and Wrexham . Of which have a combined estimated population in 2018 of 698,400 people. Under this definition, the area borders the principal areas of Ceredigion , Powys , and

1539-564: Is the main port for freight and sea passenger transport with the Republic of Ireland, handling more than 2 million passengers each year. 81% of freight traffic going through Welsh ports to the Republic of Ireland, and 75.5% of sea passenger traffic between Wales and the Republic of Ireland went through Holyhead in 2018. Historically, there were two routes between Holyhead and the Irish ports of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire . The route to Dun Laoghaire

1620-506: Is the most populated principal area of North Wales, home to an estimated 155,600 people, with the Isle of Anglesey being the least populated with an estimated 70,000 people. In 2018, North Wales has an estimated population density of 113.6 persons per square kilometre. Flintshire is the most densely populated of the 6 areas, at 355.6 persons per km , with Gwynedd being the least dense principal area at 49.0 persons per km . Between 2008, and 2018,

1701-459: The COVID-19 pandemic . To help tackle the threat, new hygiene practices were introduced onboard Avanti services. Occasionally, services had to be cancelled at short notice due to a lack of staff. During 2022, Avanti West Coast begun ramping up service levels again, and issued public promises to restore full service to areas such as North Wales and Chester . As part of dealing with COVID-19,

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1782-872: The Cambrian Line . There is a total of 5 rail routes in North Wales: the North Wales Coast Line , the Shrewsbury—Chester Line , the Conwy Valley Line , the Borderlands Line (all part of the North Wales lines) and the Cambrian Line. All 5 routes together in 2018-19 had approximately 5,295,602 entries and exits through the 66 stations. The North Wales Coast Line, the main rail line serving

1863-692: The European Union on 31 January 2020. The division with the rest of Wales is arbitrary and depends on the particular use being made. For example, the boundary of North Wales Police differs from the boundary of the North Wales area of the Natural Resources Wales and the North Wales Regional Transport Consortium ( Taith ). The historic boundary follows the pre-1996 county boundaries of Merionethshire and Denbighshire which in turn closely follow

1944-806: The Gobowen to Oswestry line, Cambrian Heritage Railways , the line's operator, is working on reopening the line (multiple sections of line), and the Anglesey Central Railway is also proposed to be restored. In Llandudno, the Great Orme Tramway links to the Great Orme . It is the only remaining cable-operated street tramway in Great Britain, and one of only a few surviving in the world. North Wales has very diverse and complex geology with Precambrian schists along

2025-722: The Halton Curve , direct trains run to Liverpool Lime Street , linking to the Merseyrail. Services to Manchester Piccadilly from Chester, via the Chester—Manchester line for Transport for Wales services, and the Mid—Cheshire line for Northern services, in addition to the Northern service to Leeds , provide North Wales' connections to Northern England. Shrewsbury provides the main travel connections for passengers from

2106-529: The InterCity West Coast franchise would be superseded by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). The principal change of the WCP was the inclusion of the High Speed 2 (HS2) services, then envisioned to start around 2026. Accordingly, the DfT required that bidders have experience in operating high-speed trains and the associated infrastructure, which led to all tendering parties either being, or partnering with, an existing high-speed operator. During June 2017,

2187-695: The Menai Strait and the great Cambrian dome behind Harlech and underlying much of western Snowdonia. In the Ordovician period much volcanism deposited a range of minerals and rocks over the northwestern parts of Gwynedd whilst to the east of the River Conwy lies a large area of upland rolling hills underlain by the Silurian mudstones and grits comprising the Denbigh and Migneint Moors. To

2268-661: The North Wales South Wales service , along with the Shrewsbury—Chester, North Wales Coast Line, and South Wales Main Line . These lines form the main rail connection between North Wales and South Wales. Chester provides the main travel connections for the North Wales Coast, as a major transport hub. As part of the North Wales Metro , from Chester (and Wrexham General at limited times), via

2349-635: The Office for National Statistics . In addition to the six principal areas, North Wales is also divided into the following preserved counties for various ceremonial purposes: Clwyd (comprising Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham), and Gwynedd (comprising Gwynedd and Isle of Anglesey ) The preserved counties are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and were used for local government purposes (with county councils) between 1974 and 1996. During this period up to

2430-516: The Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh : Senedd Cymru ): Aberconwy ( UK / SN ) , Alyn and Deeside ( UK / SN ) , Arfon ( UK / SN ) , Clwyd South ( UK / SN ) , Clwyd West ( UK / SN ) , Delyn ( UK / SN ) , Dwyfor Meironnydd ( UK / SN ) , Montgomeryshire ( UK / SN , if considered North Wales) , Vale of Clwyd ( UK / SN ) , Wrexham ( UK / SN ) , and Ynys Môn (Anglesey, UK / SN ) . An electoral region for

2511-416: The West Coast Main Line to London Euston . According to StatsWales, the number of rail journeys across the 6 principal areas of North Wales, made in 2017-18 was 1.4 million, an increase of 20,525 from 2007-8. The largest share of these rail journeys, at 38.4%, was within the boundaries of Gwynedd. Conwy was the principal area which saw the greatest increase in rail journeys as a percentage of journeys over

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2592-452: The proposed replacements to the existing 6 principal areas before proposals were scrapped in 2019 . They are: North East Wales (Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham), and North West Wales (Anglesey, Conwy, Gwynedd) being the two most popular groupings, although a North Central Wales (Conwy and Denbighshire) grouping has been occasionally used, specifically for health administration. The population, density and areas are estimates for 2022 from

2673-616: The Cambrian line (and those commuting south from other North Wales stations), providing services, in addition to those to South Wales, through England to Crewe, Birmingham International , and Birmingham New Street , and via the Heart of Wales line , services to Llanelli . There are numerous heritage railways in the region. Most of them are narrow-gauge . Several run on sections of historically longer lines. Heritage railways employ more than 300 people and generate over £50 million per year for

2754-659: The Cambrian line, while Welshpool on the Cambrian line is across town from Raven Square on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway . Many rail and bus lines of the region are part of an improvement project called the North Wales Metro or North East Wales Metro, which proposes improvements to the existing lines (specifically the Borderlands lines), improved connectivity between rail and other modes of transport, and more connections to North West England . For

2835-553: The DfT announced that three consortia had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise: In December 2018, the Spanish state-owned company Renfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid. During April 2019, it was announced that the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid had been disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, specially in regards to staff pensions . Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched

2916-562: The DfT produced an Emergency Measures Agreement (EMA) and then in September 2020, an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA), which extended Avanti West Coast's contract until 1 April 2031. The 2020 ERMA was overridden in October 2022 with a six-month short-term contract to give the company time to improve its performance. In March 2023, this contract was extended by a further six months to expire on 15 October 2023. Avanti West Coast

2997-555: The North Wales coast and passing Deeside, Llandudno Junction , Conwy, and Bangor. It is described as the economic lifeline for North Wales, and the second most important road in all of Wales, only to the M4 in South Wales. The road connects all the way to the Port of Holyhead following an extension in 2001, which provides ferry connections to the Republic of Ireland . The majority of the road

3078-542: The North Wales economy. The heritage railways in the region are: Several of these lines connect to the Cambrian line. Stations where the heritage railway uses the same station as Network Rail. At Fairbourne, the Fairbourne Railway connects to Barmouth Ferry and the Ffestiniog Railway connects at Minffordd . The Talyllyn Railway's Tywyn Wharf station is a short walk from Tywyn station on

3159-447: The North Wales region, consists of the 6 northern principal areas, and statistics provided by StatsWales only include these 6 areas. In 2018, the estimated population of the region was 698,400 people. North Wales exhibits the evenest distribution of population across the local authorities of any of the 4 statistical regions of Wales, with 4 of the 6 authorities home to over 100,000 residents, Flintshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd and Conwy. Flintshire

3240-523: The River Dyfi). The area is mostly rural with many mountains and valleys . This, in combination with its coast (on the Irish Sea), means tourism is the principal industry. Farming , which was once the principal economic force in the area, is now much reduced in importance. The average income per capita of the local population is the lowest in the UK. The eastern part of North Wales contains

3321-670: The Senedd, shares the name "North Wales", yet does not cover all of North Wales, only the northern coast, Anglesey, and northeast of Wales (specifically the entire area of the former pre-1996 county of Clwyd); the rest of North Wales (mainly Meirionnydd) is covered by the Mid and West Wales Senedd electoral region. All constituencies aside Dwyfor Meironnydd, and Montgomeryshire are in the North Wales Senedd electoral region. Between 1979 and 1994, all of North Wales (including Montgomery )

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3402-480: The UK and expected to enter service between 2029 and 2033. In June 2022, two Avanti West Coast Class 221 "Super Voyagers", units 221142 and 221143, went off lease, and later transferred to Grand Central . In July 2024, a further 10 "Super Voyagers" went off lease, and units 221107, 221110-13 and 221117-18 were stored, with units 221114-16 transferring to CrossCountry . North Wales Those from North Wales are sometimes referred to as "Gogs" (from "Gogledd" –

3483-540: The WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system ; later revisions resulting from COVID-19 and poor performance shortened the contract expiry to October 2023 before being extended to October 2026. Avanti West Coast provide the principal long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London , the West Midlands , North West England , North Wales and Scotland . Its services connect six of

3564-523: The Welsh word for "north"); in comparison, those from South Wales are sometimes called "Hwntws" by those from North Wales. The region includes the localities of Wrexham , Deeside , Rhyl , Colwyn Bay , Flint , Bangor , Llandudno , and Holyhead . The largest localities in North Wales are the city of Wrexham and the conurbations of Deeside and Rhyl/ Prestatyn , where the main retail, cultural, educational, tourism, and transport infrastructure and services of North Wales are located. Bangor and St Asaph are

3645-639: The West Coast of Tasmania West Coast Wilderness Railway , a heritage railway in Tasmania, Australia West Coast Main Line , a railway line in the United Kingdom See also [ edit ] West Coast Express (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title West Coast Railway . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

3726-424: The distinction of hosting the only UNESCO Biosphere (from Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development) reserve in Wales, namely, Biosffer Dyfi Biosphere. London has only one more site than North Wales. The boundaries and status of North Wales are undefined (compared to regions of England ), definitions, and the boundary of North Wales with South or Mid Wales differs between organisations. It

3807-402: The east, around Llangollen, to the north on Halkyn Mountain and the Great Orme and in eastern Anglesey are beds of limestone from which metals have been mined since pre-Roman times. Added to all this are the complexities posed by Parys Mountain and the outcrops of unusual minerals such as Jasper and Mona Marble which make the area of special interest to geologists . Terms for people from

3888-561: The franchise, several timetable changes are expected to be made. It was anticipated that, from December 2022, an additional 263 train services would be run every week. Unlike services operated by London Northwestern Railway and London Overground , the Oyster contactless payment card is not valid on Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Watford Junction , as Avanti West Coast services are pick-up only northbound and set-down only southbound at Watford Junction. In February 2021, Avanti West Coast launched smartcard ticketing as

3969-458: The geographic features of the River Dyfi to Aran Fawddwy , then crossing the high moorlands following the watershed until reaching Cadair Berwyn and then following the River Rhaeadr and River Tanat to the Shropshire border. The most common definition is that North Wales ends at the peripheries of the northern 6 principal areas, therefore the border is between Wrexham - Powys, Denbighshire - Powys, Gwynedd - Powys, and Gwynedd - Ceredigion (over

4050-405: The largest cities in the UK: London , Birmingham , Liverpool , Manchester , Glasgow , and Edinburgh , which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. At the start of the franchise, the rolling stock used for these services consisted of 56 Class 390 Pendolino high speed electric multiple units and 20 Class 221 Super Voyager diesel-electric multiple units ; in 2019, it

4131-483: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Coast_Railway&oldid=1194424681 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Railway disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Avanti West Coast First Trenitalia West Coast Rail , trading as Avanti West Coast ,

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4212-458: The middle of Wales, leading most north-south connections to be slower, leading to diversions onto north-south roads in England. The emphasis on east-west roadways has led to North Wales having closer connections with North West England (centred on Liverpool and Manchester ) rather than with South Wales. The busiest road in North Wales is the A55 , the "North Wales Expressway", a dual carriageway primary road connecting Chester to Holyhead , along

4293-425: The modern principal area of Gwynedd) sometimes considered Mid Wales. North Wales may also be spelled as 'north Wales' with a lower case 'n' for north , coined as the "to cap or not to cap" debate. It is argued that using a lower case 'n' is to be only used to signify "north" as merely a geographic identifier, and a capital 'N' to distinctly separate the region for cultural, organisational, or statistical purposes from

4374-531: The most populous areas, with more than 300,000 people living in the areas around Wrexham and Deeside. Wrexham, with a population of 65,692 at the 2011 census in its built-up area , it is North Wales' largest city. The total population of North Wales is 696,300 (2017). The majority of other settlements are along the coast, including some popular resort towns , such as Rhyl , Llandudno , Pwllheli , Prestatyn and Tywyn . There are two cathedral cities – Bangor and St. Asaph  – and

4455-466: The north Wales coast, and connecting with Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferry services to Dublin Port in the Republic of Ireland. The Conwy Valley Line branches off at Llandudno Junction, heading north to Llandudno and south to Blaenau Ffestiniog . The Shrewsbury—Chester line, connects Chester and Shrewsbury via Wrexham , providing the main north Wales and south Wales connection. A former open-access operator Wrexham & Shropshire , used to provide

4536-407: The north coast. English Maelor , currently part of Wrexham County Borough, located east of the River Dee, as the name suggests, was part of England during a significant part of this period. North Wales is electorally divided into constituencies and electoral wards to elect local representatives to multiple layers of government. There are eleven constituencies used for both the UK Parliament and

4617-403: The other side of the Wales-England border . There have been proposals to upgrade the A55 into a motorway or have more motorway-like features. Trunk roads in the region are maintained by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA). The main roads spanning across North Wales, mostly span east to west, especially along the North Wales coast. This is mainly due to the mountainous terrain in

4698-558: The other west-east line in the region (as the Mid-Wales line), it connects Shrewsbury, westwards with Mid Wales and towns along Cardigan Bay . The line is commonly split into two sections, the section from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth is sometimes referred to as the Cambrian Main Line, with the Cambrian Coast Line, splitting off from this line at Dovey Junction , heading northwest to Pwllheli . The Welsh Marches Line connects Crewe to Newport , via Shrewsbury, with services from Holyhead usually continuing to Cardiff Central . It forms part of

4779-415: The population density of North Wales grew by 2.3%, the third-highest rate of population density growth of the 4 statistical regions of Wales. Gwynedd, with 3.7% growth, had the highest population density growth rate in North Wales, whereas the Isle of Anglesey had the lowest population density growth rate at 0.1% from 2008 to 2018. The population growth for the region between 1998 and 2018 was 6.3%, however,

4860-424: The present six (seven with Montgomeryshire) is that Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire were combined into one principal area, initially called 'Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire' until a day after its formation where it took the name Gwynedd instead, and the formation of two county boroughs, Conwy carved out of Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire, and Wrexham carved out of Denbighshire and Flintshire. The north of Wales

4941-459: The present, Montgomeryshire remained a part of Powys. Prior to the preserved counties, there were counties, now referred to as historic counties. These are the oldest of the counties of North Wales, used for centuries. North Wales contained 6 historic counties during these times, the counties were; Anglesey, Caernarfonshire , Denbighshire , Flintshire , Merionethshire , and Montgomeryshire. The most notable difference between these six counties and

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5022-399: The prior operating company Virgin Trains , which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026, before project delays moved its expected completion. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate

5103-435: The problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Following these changes, Avanti West Coast was subject to public criticism; news stories emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays, and expensive fares. Many commuters faced difficulties reaching their destinations on

5184-594: The rate was lower between 2008 and 2018, than in 1998 and 2008. Conwy was the area with the highest population growth rate for the two decades at 8%, with Isle of Anglesey having the smallest growth rate at just over 3%. Population settlements North Wales' largest settlement (locality) is Wrexham, with 65,692 people in the 2011 census. Data from the census details that North Wales has a lower number and proportion of residents living in settlements of 25,000 or more, than South East and South West Wales, but higher than Mid Wales. StatsWales attributes this to North Wales' lack of

5265-418: The reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait until two days before travel for tickets to be released for sale. The Mayor of Greater Manchester , Andy Burnham , expressed his frustration at the operator and explained his intention to ask the then Prime Minister , Boris Johnson , to strip Avanti West Coast of their franchise. During September 2022, the CEO of Avanti West Coast resigned amid

5346-568: The region include; North Welsh, and North Walian (also spelt as North Walean), or informally as "Gogs" from the Welsh word for North, "Gogledd". This term is mostly only used to distinguish from other parts of Wales (i.e. only used domestically in Wales), a majority of the population consider themselves as just " Welsh ", and some additionally or only as " British ". Communities along the Wales-England border and northern coast may identify as " English " as they are home to many of those of English ancestry . According to Statistics for Wales (StatsWales),

5427-399: The region serve as a reminder of the former railways across the region. The majority of lines operated in Wales are part of the Wales & Borders franchise , the current operator is Transport for Wales Rail , a Welsh-Government owned company , although some services (from Holyhead and Wrexham) are operated by the West Coast Partnership operator, Avanti West Coast on services using

5508-509: The region's cities , Bangor is Wales' oldest city , whereas St Asaph is one of Wales' smallest and was awarded status in 2012. Wrexham, the region's largest settlement, became a city in 2022. Historically, for most of North Wales, the region can be referred to as simply " Gwynedd ", named after one of the last independent Welsh kingdoms, the Kingdom of Gwynedd . This has led to a stronger sense of Welsh identity and home to more Welsh-language speakers , especially in North West Wales, than

5589-400: The rest of Wales may use a capitalised N. Local newspapers, such as the Daily Post describe themselves to be a "capper" capitalising the 'N', whereas other organisations such as BBC News may use a lower case. The Welsh Government's style guide uses lowercase, whereas Visit Wales uses capitalised. David Williams, chairman of the North Wales Business Club, announced his support for capping

5670-459: The rest of Wales to the south, England and its counties of Shropshire , and Cheshire to the east, and the Irish sea to the north and west. Other definitions, especially historical, commonly include Montgomeryshire , one of the historic counties of Wales , to be part of North Wales, although as part of Powys its more commonly considered Mid Wales today. The definitions of North and Mid Wales constantly overlap, with Meirionnydd (southern part of

5751-414: The rest of Wales. The term "North Wales" is rarely applied to all of Wales during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy , to distinguish it from "West Wales", known today as Cornwall , although the term "Wales" or the names of the various petty kingdoms of Wales ( Gwynedd, and Powys in North Wales) are more commonly used to depict the region during this time. The region

5832-421: The rest of Wales. Such usage may follow ideological lines, with North Wales used to confer the region as a distinctly separate entity from the rest of Wales, whilst north Wales as merely the northern bit of Wales. Organisations, where the region is administered the same as with the rest of Wales, may prefer to use a lower case for north. Whilst organisations only operating in the region or separate from any others in

5913-567: The single-carriageways of the A470 from Llandudno to Cardiff via the Conwy valley , and the A487 from Bangor to Haverfordwest via Caernarfon and Snowdonia. The Port of Holyhead, on the isle of Anglesey, is the main commercial and ferry port in North Wales. The port had the third-largest volume of freight traffic , in Wales, in 2018 (5.2 million tonnes), after Milford Haven and Port Talbot , and it

5994-518: The ten-year period, at 22.5%. The least amount of rail journeys in 2018-19 was in Anglesey. As of 2020, there as 66 rail stations within the boundaries of the 6 northern principal areas, of which 2 are among the 20 busiest stations in Wales, Rhyl , and Bangor . 41 of the rail stations are stations of the North Wales lines, whereas the remaining 25 are stations of the Mid Wales lines, specifically

6075-525: The term "North", stating that North Wales should be a "very recognisable region in our own right". For local administration, the region is most commonly made up of the following six principal areas , consisting of counties, and county boroughs, they are: the Isle of Anglesey, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham County Borough. These principal areas are commonly divided into two groups, used for local news (e.g. BBC ), regional tourism boards, town and country planning , and were

6156-468: The timetable controversy. In October 2022, the UK Government extended Avanti's contract for six months but stated "drastic improvements" were necessary. According to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road on 12 November 2022, Avanti West Coast had the worst record of train cancellations in the year prior to this date. The average rate in Great Britain was 3.8%, while Avanti West Coast had

6237-644: The units will have the same top speed, they will not tilt like the Class 390 Pendolinos nor the Class 221 Super Voyager s they will replace. The Class 805s are to be used for services to Chester , Gobowen and North Wales and the Class 807s are to be used for services to Birmingham New Street , Blackpool North and Liverpool Lime Street (alongside the Pendolinos ). Avanti West Coast had planned to operate at least 54 new high speed trains for High Speed 2 services, to be built by Hitachi Rail and Alstom in

6318-585: Was a single European Parliament constituency (EPC), the North Wales European Parliament Constituency . In 1994, minor border changes put parts of Montgomeryshire in the neighbouring Mid and West Wales constituency. In 1999, both of the constituencies ceased, when it was absorbed into the larger Wales constituency until 2020 when it was subsequently abolished following the United Kingdom 's withdrawal from

6399-495: Was announced that the Super Voyagers would be replaced by newly built Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and Class 807 electric multiple units. Originally, Avanti West Coast was set to operate the pending high speed train fleet intended for use on High Speed 2, although the contract is set to end prior to the completion of this new railway as of 2023 . In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that

6480-410: Was the most popular in 1998 with over 1.7 million passengers ferried, however following a consistent decline in passenger traffic, it was removed in 2015. The other route to Dublin saw an overall increase in passenger numbers from just over 1 million in 1998 to just over 1.9 million in 2018, an increase of 82%. A Mostyn -Dublin ferry service once existed, on the now Liverpool -Dublin route, attracting

6561-699: Was traditionally divided into three regions during the middle ages: Upper Gwynedd (or Gwynedd above the Conwy), defined as the area north of the River Dyfi and west of the River Conwy ; Lower Gwynedd (or Gwynedd below the Conwy), also known as the Perfeddwlad ("the middle country") and defined as the region east of the River Conwy and west of the River Dee ; and Ynys Môn (or Anglesey), a large island off

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