Newport railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Newport | |||
| Casnewydd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Location | |||
| Place | Newport city centre | ||
| Local authority | Newport | ||
| Operations | |||
| Station code | NWP | ||
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales | ||
| Platforms in use | 4 | ||
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |||
| Annual Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 ** | 1.828 million | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1850 | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Newport. | |||
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Newport railway station is situated in the heart of the city of Newport. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. The main station entrance is located on Queensway, and a small section of road known as Station Approach links this to the High Street. The station was originally opened in 1850 by the South Wales Railway Company and is still sometimes known by its original name Newport High Street railway station, although the suffix High Street was dropped sometime earlier in the century.
Contents |
[edit] Train services
First Great Western InterCity Swansea-London express trains run every half-hour. Hourly services include: Arriva Trains Wales Cardiff-Manchester, Cardiff-Gloucester and Maesteg-Gloucester regional trains; Central Trains Cardiff-Birmingham-Nottingham "Citylink" service; and the First Great Western Cardiff-Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff-Westbury services. The Virgin Trains South West-South Wales-North East and Scotland service occasionally calls at Newport. By a combination of services, about 6 trains an hour run to Cardiff, and about 4 trains an hour to Bristol.
[edit] Facilities
The current station layout consists of four through-platforms. Originally, there were bay platforms either side of the main station building, but these were removed in the 1970s.
Platform 1 is generally only used during peak hours and usually for trains heading towards Cardiff. Platform 2 is the usual stopping point for all westbound services towards Cardiff including First Great Western services to Swansea. Platform 3 is the stopping point for eastbound First Great Western services to London Paddington and regional trains to the midlands and the south/south west of England. Platform 4 is currently out of service but is currently being renovated for use by trains to Ebbw Vale following the re-opening of the Ebbw Valley Line in summer 2007. Platform 4 was only able to fit a 4-carriage train before renovation, but after renovation will be able to fit up to 12 carriages or a High Speed Train.
A British Transport Police station and a branch of WH Smith are situated on platform 1. The waiting room and customer toilets are situated between platforms 2 and 3, as is the Upper Crust café. Also, between platforms 2 and 3 is a customer help desk. The booking hall is situated between the main entrance and platform 1. There are three main windows for tickets for immediate travel and a travel centre which handles enquiries, complaints and issues tickets for future travel. In the booking hall there is also a small buffet, a bank of telephones, automatic ticket machines and a photo booth. Wheelchair access between platforms is provided by a subway, accessed by a lift from the platforms. Also, a ramp from platforms 2 and 3 leads into a subway that links Mill Street to the city centre. There is a short-stay car park and taxi rank situated to the front and a long-stay car park to the rear which was accessible via a footbridge from all platforms, however closed until Summer 2007 to allow platform 4 renovation. Since October 2005, automatic ticket barriers have been installed. In November 2006, Arriva installed alarms on the fire doors in the subway, which was commonly used as a method of avoiding ticket purchasing. As these doors lead straight into a public subway under the station, the ticketless customer would avoid the automatic ticket barriers. At the same time, the ticket barriers are being used more often, before used during peak periods and match days, now manned throughout the day until late in the evening.
[edit] Future developments
The Welsh Assembly Government and Network Rail have agreed a £20 million makeover for the station that will provide a new concourse, a second pedestrian bridge over the tracks and a user-friendly bus-rail interchange at the station. The plans also include an extended platform 4 capable of accommodating up to twelve-carriage intercity trains and a new multi-storey car park for long-stay travellers. The first phase, platform 4 extension, is due to be completed by Summer 2007. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Newport railway station from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of Newport railway station from Multimap.com
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Arriva Trains Wales Due to open in 2009 |
Pye Corner | ||
| Severn Tunnel Junction | Arriva Trains Wales Cardiff-Gloucester, Maesteg-Gloucester and Cardiff-Penzance |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Cwmbran | Arriva Trains Wales Cardiff-Manchester Piccadilly |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Gloucester | Central Trains Cardiff-Nottingham |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Bristol Parkway | First Great Western Intercity services South Wales Main Line |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Severn Tunnel Junction | First Great Western Local services Cardiff-Bristol |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Filton Abbey Wood | First Great Western Local services Cardiff-Westbury/Portsmouth Harbour/Brighton |
Cardiff Central | ||
| Bristol Temple Meads | Virgin Trains Cross-Country Route |
Cardiff Central | ||
