Whitchurch (Shropshire)
National Rail
Whitchurch railway station.
General information
LocationWhitchurch, Shropshire, Shropshire Council
England
Coordinates52°58′06″N 2°40′18″W / 52.9682°N 2.6717°W / 52.9682; -2.6717
Grid referenceSJ549414
Managed byTransport for Wales
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeWTC
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyCrewe and Shrewsbury Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1858[1]Station opened
Passengers
2018/19Increase 145,386
2019/20Decrease 144,724
2020/21Decrease 23,424
2021/22Increase 94,134
2022/23Increase 116,474
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Whitchurch (Shropshire) railway station serves the town of Whitchurch in Shropshire, England. The station is 18¾ miles (30 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line. The station is maintained and served by Transport for Wales.

History

The station opened on 1 September 1858[1] by the LNWR-backed Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway. It was once the junction for the Cambrian Railways Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway line to Oswestry and Welshpool (the former Cambrian mainline to Aberystwyth), and the Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway. The former was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe in January 1965,[2] whilst the latter was closed to passengers by the British Transport Commission in September 1957[3] and completely in January 1963.

The site of the former junctions can still be seen from passing trains.

Operation

The station has two platforms and a footbridge. There used to be a large signal box here (which was latterly switched out of use, although operational if required) but this was closed and demolished in 2012[4] whilst the one-time goods shed has been turned into a garage. The former up loop and down bay platforms have both had their track removed (the former is fenced off) and the main buildings (booking hall, waiting room and offices) have also been demolished.[3]

The station is unstaffed (though it does have a ticket machine) with waiting shelters on both platforms. Train running information is offered by means of CIS displays and timetable poster boards. Step-free access is only possible to the northbound platform, as the footbridge is not accessible for disabled passengers.[5]

The last major work carried out on Whitchurch station was the replacement of the original railway bridge that had become damaged by an oversized lorry load.

Services

Monday to Saturdays, the station is served both by the local stopping service between Shrewsbury and Crewe (every two hours each way) and certain longer distance trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central. The latter stops were introduced at the May 2011 timetable change and offer through journey opportunities to Swansea and West Wales. Except on Saturdays, two of the local stopping trains to Shrewsbury continue southwards over the Heart of Wales line to Llanelli and Swansea. On Sundays, the service is somewhat infrequent and irregular (six trains each way) but they run through to either Manchester or Cardiff.[6]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Prees   Transport for Wales
Welsh Marches line		   Wrenbury
Disused railways
Malpas   London and North Western Railway
Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway		   Terminus
Fenn's Bank   Great Western Railway
Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway		   Terminus

References

  1. 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 248.
  2. ↑ Cambrian Heritage Railways - History www.cambrianrailways.com; Retrieved 11 November 2013
  3. 1 2 Disused Stations - Whitchurch Retrieved 11 November 2013
  4. ↑ Rail station weekend closureWhitchurch Herald news article; Retrieved 2013-11-11
  5. ↑ Whitchurch (Shropshire) station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  6. ↑ Table 131 National Rail timetable, December 2018

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Oswestry to Whitchurch. Middleton Press. figs. 55-73. ISBN 9781906008819. OCLC 751631667.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2013). Shrewsbury to Crewe. Middleton Press. figs. 47-61. ISBN 9781908174482. OCLC 880765045.
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