Wrexham General railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wrexham General Wrecsam Cyffredinol |
|||
 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Wrexham | ||
| Local authority | Wrexham County Borough | ||
| Grid reference | SJ329508 | ||
| Operations | |||
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales | ||
| Platforms in use | 6 in use | ||
| Annual Rail Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 * | 0.391 million | ||
| 2005/06 * | 0.401 million | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1846 Rebuilt 1912 |
||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Wrexham General Wrecsam Cyffredinol from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. |
|||
|
|||
Wrexham General railway station (Welsh: Wrecsam Cyffredinol) is the main railway station serving Wrexham, north-east Wales. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, but services are also provided by other operators including Wrexham & Shropshire. Virgin Trains will begin services from the station in late 2008. The station was first opened in 1846, later becoming part of the GWR network and expanded in 1912.
It is one of two railway stations in the central area of the town (the other being Wrexham Central). It is the main hub for inter-city services in the area.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1846 the first steam trains began the Railway Age in Wrexham. The line was originally called The North Wales Mineral Railway This was backed by local businessmen among whom the developer of the steel works at Brymbo - Henry Robertson is well known. There have been two railway station buildings on the site, the original being built by the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway, and was built in Jacobean style with Dutch gable pediments. The architect for the station was Mr Thomas Penson of Wrexham, who also designed the Shrewsbury and Gobowen stations. It was built on the edge of Wrexham, a town which at the time, was heavily industrialised and had many coal mines and steelworks to attract the railway companies.
The second station building was constructed by the GWR in 1912, the company decided the increasing rail traffic needed newer and more efficient facilities, so it was rebuilt to a standardised GWR 'French Pavilion' design including ornate crestings on the roof "towers". This station design was unique in that it used stonework from the original building instead of standard red brick. It survived the Beeching cuts of the 1960s as a through route for steel produced in Shotton and wood for the Chirk MDF factory. In 1997 a wagon on an empty coal train derailed at a nearby level crossing. The train carried on for a mile into Wrexham General where the wagons scraped up the platform, damaging it and the station canopy. This prompted a massive refurbishing, including new canopies, a jetwash of the sandstone buildings, and platform retiling.
The station is currently undergoing a renaissance as a number of new services have been introduced. In 2005, Arriva Trains Wales announced a more frequent rail service to the town, coinciding with the bus to the station. Wrexham, as of 12 December 2005, is now a stop on the Holyhead to Cardiff route, allowing a two-hourly train to Cardiff using Arriva's flagship North Wales-South Wales service. In 2008 two rail companies will begin new operations from the station to London, including Wrexham & Shropshire whose operational centre and depot will be located in the complex.
[edit] Services
[edit] Arriva Trains Wales
- Borderlands Line from Wrexham Central to Bidston
- Cardiff Central-Holyhead including Newport, Chester and Bangor
- Birmingham New St.-Chester including Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury
[edit] Wrexham & Shropshire
- London Marylebone-Wrexham including Shrewsbury, Telford and Tame Bridge Parkway
[edit] Layout
Wrexham General comprises 6 platforms. Two bay platforms have recently been refurbished after decades of un-use. Originally used for trains to Barmouth via the Ruabon Barmouth line up until the 1960s - they are now used for Wrexham and Shropshire services to London and overnight stabling of trains. Platforms 1 and 2 are on the main Chester to Shrewsbury line, platform 3 being on an island platform opposite 2; and platform 4, until the mid-1980s a separate former Great Central Railway station named Wrexham Exchange, was on the ex-Ellesmere to Bidston line, now the Wrexham to Bidston Borderlands Line. Platform five used to be on the same route, but was pulled up when the line was singled.
[edit] Infrastructure Improvements
On the 28th April 2008 Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, the Deputy First Minister for Wales opened a new Wrexham Network Rail depot. It consisted of the refurbishment of two terminal bay platforms to the south of the station for overnight stabling of trains and the construction of a crew depot. The development was opened to coincide with the start of services from Wrexham General to London by Wrexham and Shropshire, who will utilise the depot.
[edit] Gallery
 |
 |
 |
 |
[edit] External links
- Chester to Shrewsbury Rail Partnership
- Train times and station information for Wrexham General railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwersyllt | Arriva Trains Wales Borderlands Line (Local Services) |
Wrexham Central | ||
| Ruabon | Arriva Trains Wales Cardiff-Holyhead |
Chester | ||
| Ruabon | Arriva Trains Wales Birmingham-Chester |
Chester | ||
| Wrexham & Shropshire London - Wrexham |
Terminus | |||
