Ruabon railway station
Encyclopedia
Ruabon railway station serves the village of Ruabon
in the county borough of Wrexham
, Wales
. It is the second busiest station in Wrexham in terms of passenger journeys, after the mainline station, Wrexham General. It is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line
, which is part of the former Great Western Railway
mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside which lasted until 1967 when it was withdrawn upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.
It was originally a large station, with an extensive marshalling yard with a turntable
and goods depot accompanying it, and was the terminus
of the Ruabon to Barmouth
line which ran via Llangollen
, Corwen
and Dolgellau
. This branch line was a victim of the Beeching cuts
in the 1960s, closing to passengers in 1964 and completely four years later. The bay platform serving this route can still be seen at the station.
The original station building was Italianate in style and was designed by the architect Thomas Penson
. It opened on 4 November 1846. However, this was replaced by the current neo-Tudor style stone buildings designed by Henry Robertson in 1860. In 1870 refreshment rooms were added between the platforms serving Chester and Barmouth.
Following further cuts in the national railway service, Ruabon station became an unstaffed halt in 1974.
Currently trains run on two routes operated by Arriva Trains Wales
:
In 2009 it was decided Ruabon station should be refurbished at the cost of £77,000
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
in the county borough of Wrexham
Wrexham (county borough)
Wrexham is a county borough centred on the town of Wrexham in north-east Wales. The county borough has a population of 130,200 inhabitants. Just under half of the population live either within the town of Wrexham or its surrounding conurbation of urban villages. The remainder living to the south...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is the second busiest station in Wrexham in terms of passenger journeys, after the mainline station, Wrexham General. It is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line
Shrewsbury to Chester Line
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line, also known as the Severn–Dee Line , was built in 1846 as the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway...
, which is part of the former Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside which lasted until 1967 when it was withdrawn upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.
It was originally a large station, with an extensive marshalling yard with a turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
and goods depot accompanying it, and was the terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Ruabon to Barmouth
Ruabon Barmouth Line
The Ruabon to Barmouth Line was a standard gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.-Connections:...
line which ran via Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
, Corwen
Corwen
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales; it was previously part of the county of Meirionnydd). Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llangollen and south of Ruthin...
and Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
. This branch line was a victim of the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in the 1960s, closing to passengers in 1964 and completely four years later. The bay platform serving this route can still be seen at the station.
The original station building was Italianate in style and was designed by the architect Thomas Penson
Thomas Mainwaring Penson
Thomas Mainwaring Penson was an English surveyor and architect who is credited with pioneering the revival of half-timbered architecture in Chester in the 1850s....
. It opened on 4 November 1846. However, this was replaced by the current neo-Tudor style stone buildings designed by Henry Robertson in 1860. In 1870 refreshment rooms were added between the platforms serving Chester and Barmouth.
Following further cuts in the national railway service, Ruabon station became an unstaffed halt in 1974.
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
:
- An hourly service from HolyheadHolyhead railway stationHolyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey. It is the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, although Virgin Trains also serves it....
via ChesterChester railway stationChester railway station is a railway station in Newtown in the city of Chester, England. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, although Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Virgin Trains also run services from the station. It is situated to the north-east of the city centre...
and Wrexham GeneralWrexham General railway stationWrexham General railway station is a main line railway station and the main railway station serving Wrexham, north-east Wales. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, but services are also provided by Virgin Trains who operate a service to London Euston...
and ShrewsburyShrewsbury railway stationShrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
to either Birmingham InternationalBirmingham International railway stationBirmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
or Cardiff CentralCardiff Central railway stationCardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
.
In 2009 it was decided Ruabon station should be refurbished at the cost of £77,000