Whitchurch railway station (Shropshire)
Whitchurch railway station. | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Whitchurch, Shropshire England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°58′06″N 2°40′18″W / 52.9682°N 2.6717°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SJ549414 | ||||
| Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WTC | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 September 1858[1] | Station opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 | 144,724 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 23,424 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 94,134 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 116,474 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 135,830 | ||||
| |||||
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. It 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.
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.
Layout
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; 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]
Facilities
The station is unstaffed, although it does have a ticket machine. There are 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]
Services
Transport for Wales operates the following services:[6]
- A local stopping service between Shrewsbury and Crewe; these operate every two hours each way
- Some longer distance trains call here between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central, with extensions to Carmarthen, Fishguard Harbour and Milford Haven.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prees | Transport for Wales Welsh Marches line |
Wrenbury | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Prees Line and station open |
London and North Western Railway Shrewsbury and Crewe Railway |
Wrenbury Line and station open | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Malpas Line and station closed |
London and North Western Railway Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway |
Terminus | ||
| Fenn's Bank Line and station closed |
Cambrian Railways Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway |
Terminus | ||
References
Citations
- ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 248.
- ^ "Cambrian Heritage Railways - History". Cambrianrailways.com. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Station name: Whitchurch". Disused Stations. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Rail station weekend closure". Whitchurch Herald. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Whitchurch (Shropshire) station facilities". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Timetables". Transport for Wales. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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.
External links
- Train times and station information for Whitchurch railway station (Shropshire) from National Rail