Whitchurch (Shropshire) railway station
Encyclopedia
Whitchurch railway station serves the town of Whitchurch
in Shropshire
, England
. The station is 30 km (18¾ miles) north of Shrewsbury
on the Welsh Marches Line
. The station is maintained and all services serving it are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
.
main line to Oswestry
and Welshpool
and the Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway
. Both fell victim to the Beeching Axe
in 1965.
The site of the former junctions can still be seen from passing trains.
s and a footbridge There is a large signal box which is now generally switched out of use, although still operational if required, and the one time goods shed has been turned into a garage. The station is unstaffed with a canopy providing shelter that dates back to when there were four working platforms.
One whole side of platform 2 is fenced off from what would be platform 3 and the track has been removed from the track bed.
The last major work carried out on Whitchurch station was the replacement of the original railway bridge that had become damaged by an over-sized lorry load.
. Sundays an irregular service operates in both directions.
With the introduction of the Summer 2011 timetable (which will commence on 23 May 2011), additional Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central services will call at Whitchurch on Monday to Saturdays.
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station is 30 km (18¾ miles) north of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury 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...
on the Welsh Marches Line
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
. The station is maintained and all services serving it are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
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...
.
History
The station opened in 1863. It was once the junction for the Cambrian RailwaysCambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
main line to Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
and Welshpool
Welshpool railway station
Welshpool railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line, in Powys, mid-Wales. It serves the town of Welshpool.The modern station is a single island platform between the two railway lines, reached by a large pedestrian bridge over the eastbound railway line and the A483 road. It has no...
and the Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway
Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway
The Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway was a railway line in Cheshire, which ran between Whitchurch and Tattenhall, where it joined the North Wales Coast Line at Tattenhall to terminate in Chester. The line connected the small Cheshire Villages of Malpas, Hampton, Edge, Duckington, Broxton, and...
. Both fell victim to the Beeching Axe
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 1965.
The site of the former junctions can still be seen from passing trains.
Operation
The station has two side platformSide platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s and a footbridge There is a large signal box which is now generally switched out of use, although still operational if required, and the one time goods shed has been turned into a garage. The station is unstaffed with a canopy providing shelter that dates back to when there were four working platforms.
One whole side of platform 2 is fenced off from what would be platform 3 and the track has been removed from the track bed.
The last major work carried out on Whitchurch station was the replacement of the original railway bridge that had become damaged by an over-sized lorry load.
Services
Monday to Saturdays, there is generally a two-hourly service southbound to Shrewsbury and northbound to CreweCrewe railway station
Crewe railway station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world. Built in fields near to Crewe Hall, it originally served the village of Crewe with a population of just 70 residents...
. Sundays an irregular service operates in both directions.
With the introduction of the Summer 2011 timetable (which will commence on 23 May 2011), additional Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central services will call at Whitchurch on Monday to Saturdays.