Welshpool railway station

For the railway station in Western Australia, see Welshpool railway station, Perth.

Welshpool
Welsh: Y Trallwng
265px
Location
Place	Welshpool
Local authority	Powys
Grid reference	SJ229072
Operations
Station code	WLP
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	70,833
2005/06	72,660
2006/07	78,205
2007/08	90,100
2008/09	95,778
2009/10	101,404
2010/11	105,590
2011/12	114,310
2012/13	117,254
2013/14	122,446
History
1862	opened
c.1990	Closed and rebuilt on new site
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Welshpool from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Welshpool railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales, serves the town of Welshpool (Welsh: Y Trallwng).

History

File:Welshpool station geograph-2527374-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

G.J. Churchward designed GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0 No. 7309 exits the locomotive depot at Welshpool in 1957

Built by the Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway, the station opened on 27 January 1862. The line was initially operated by the London and North Western Railway before being absorbed by the Cambrian Railways, which became part of the Great Western Railway at the grouping which came into effect on 1 January 1923.

Midland Counties Dairy bought and operated the creamery at Cilcewydd. A siding from the station gave access for milk trains to the creamery.

About 100 metres north of the station were exchange sidings with the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway which opened for freight traffic in 1903 and closed in 1956 with a separate station serving passenger traffic until 1931. The last remains of this station and the site of the railway were obliterated by the construction of the new A483 road.

Present

File:Welshpool railway station in 2006.jpg

The present Welshpool station

There was some severe rationalisation of services under the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. Subsequent development of the A483 road Welshpool bypass (opened in July 1993) required the railway line to be shifted to the south. To enable this the original station was closed, and a new single island platform constructed by British Rail south of it, to allow realignment.

The replacement station platform is reached by a pedestrian bridge crossing both the railway and the A483, with long uncovered inclines to the north and stepped access from the south. There are no facilities beyond a small shelter, benches, passenger information displays and a help point. The original station building can still be seen across the road, and has been converted into a mill shop and café.

The passing loop was later extended to 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to allow for an hourly train service, and to reduce the impact of delays on the line.

The station was used by HM Queen Elizabeth II when she came on an official visit to the town on 28 April 2010. She arrived and departed on the Royal Train.

External links

• Train times and station information for Welshpool railway station from National Rail

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Shrewsbury		Arriva Trains Wales Cambrian Line		Newtown