Ledbury railway station
Encyclopedia
Ledbury station is a small railway station
on the outskirts of the town of Ledbury
on the Worcester
to Hereford
line in the English Midlands
. It also has services to Birmingham
as well as Cotswold Line
trains to London.
The station is the only section of double track, where trains travelling in opposite directions can pass each other, between Shelwick Junction, near Hereford
and the portal of Colwall New Tunnel near Great Malvern
.
The single-track Ledbury tunnel, immediately to the east of the station, was notorious among steam locomotive crews for its bad atmosphere, the result of its unusually narrow bore combined with a steep gradient and a bend at the north end.
The station was featured in episode six of the second series of Great British Railway Journeys
broadcast on 10 January 2011, in which Michael Portillo
travels from Ledbury
to Shrewsbury
.
, with extra trains in the morning and evening peaks on weekdays. Some early morning and late evening trains start/terminate at Worcester Shrub Hill
instead of Birmingham New Street. This service is reduced to three trains per day on Sundays. These trains are operated by London Midland
.
There are also five trains each way, each weekday between Hereford and London Paddington that call at Ledbury. This is reduced to four trains each way on Saturdays and five northbound and four southbound trains per day on Sunday afternoons. All trains from Ledbury to London are operated by First Great Western
. There are no trains before 12:00 on Sundays.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
on the outskirts of the town of Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
on the Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
line in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. It also has services to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
as well as Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
trains to London.
The station is the only section of double track, where trains travelling in opposite directions can pass each other, between Shelwick Junction, near Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and the portal of Colwall New Tunnel near Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
.
The single-track Ledbury tunnel, immediately to the east of the station, was notorious among steam locomotive crews for its bad atmosphere, the result of its unusually narrow bore combined with a steep gradient and a bend at the north end.
The station was featured in episode six of the second series of Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys is a BBC travel documentary television series presented by Michael Portillo. The series premiered on 4 January 2010 on BBC Two, running for 20 half-hour episodes....
broadcast on 10 January 2011, in which Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
travels from Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
Services
Ledbury is typically served Monday to Saturday by one train per hour in each direction between Birmingham New Street and HerefordHereford railway station
Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, England. Managed by Arriva Trains Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Leominster and Abergavenny and is the western terminus of the Cotswold Line.The station has four platforms...
, with extra trains in the morning and evening peaks on weekdays. Some early morning and late evening trains start/terminate at Worcester Shrub Hill
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station is one of two railway stations serving the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England. It is managed by London Midland, and it is also served by First Great Western....
instead of Birmingham New Street. This service is reduced to three trains per day on Sundays. These trains are operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
.
There are also five trains each way, each weekday between Hereford and London Paddington that call at Ledbury. This is reduced to four trains each way on Saturdays and five northbound and four southbound trains per day on Sunday afternoons. All trains from Ledbury to London are operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
. There are no trains before 12:00 on Sundays.
External links
- Ledbury Station - an independent ticketing and information service based at the station
- Cotswold Line Promotion Group