General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Shotton, Flintshire Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 53°13′05″N3°01′56″W / 53.218167°N 3.032121°W | ||||
Grid reference | SJ311695 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | HWB | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
Key dates | |||||
22 September 1924 | Opened as Hawarden Bridge Halt | ||||
1954 | Renamed as Hawarden Bridge | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 2,674 | ||||
2020/21 | 790 | ||||
2021/22 | 1,268 | ||||
2022/23 | 2,006 | ||||
2023/24 | 2,356 | ||||
|
Hawarden Bridge railway station (Welsh :Pont Penarlâg) [1] is a railway station near Shotton,Flintshire,Wales. It is situated on the Borderlands line 13 miles (21 km) north of Wrexham Central,on the north side of Hawarden Bridge over the River Dee. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Transport for Wales.
The station was opened by the LNER on 22 September 1924 as Hawarden Bridge Halt,adjacent to the John Summers steelworks. [2] [3] The station was renamed as Hawarden Bridge in 1954 when it was upgraded. [3] [4]
The station was considerably busier in times past,being the nearest to the triangular junction with the former line to Chester Northgate and Mickle Trafford as well as the steel plant. The Chester line closed to passengers in September 1968,but remained open for freight until June 1992 (it is now a footpath and cycleway) whilst the shutdown of much of the works in 1980 (with the loss of 6,000 jobs) led to a significant decline in use of the station. [3]
The signal box to the north of Dee Marsh Junction remains in use to control access to the remnants of the former Shotwick Sidings for the dispatch of finished steel products. The sidings were once used by heavy trains of iron ore from Bidston Dock in Birkenhead bound for the sidings Shotwick. An industrial park and rail-connected paper mill now occupy part of the old Shotton works site,whilst the rolling mill there is still operational receiving steel coil for processing from South Wales by rail. The signal box also acts as the 'fringe' to the Merseyside Integrated Electronic Control Centre at Sandhills. [5]
It is situated immediately to the north of the Hawarden Bridge railway swing bridge that last opened in 1960.
The station is unmanned and only has basic amenities (CIS screens,waiting shelters and timetable poster boards on each platform). Step-free access is available to both platforms,but transfer between them requires the use of a barrow crossing. [6] [7] The Chester Millennium Greenway cycle route runs adjacent to the station and provides access to the northbound platform. [7] The route also connects the station to Shotton. [7]
Previously the station saw an infrequent service,with the only trains calling during the morning and evening peak periods towards Wrexham Central southbound and Bidston northbound. Services were enhanced in May 2013 when Arriva Trains Wales introduced a Sunday service at the station - with all passenger services (every 90 minutes) stopping at the station (on request). Services were further enhanced a decade later in December 2023,where now all services on the line will stop (on request),giving a service approximately every 45 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes (dropping to two-hourly from mid evening and approximately every 90 minutes on Sundays). [8]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Shotton | Transport for Wales Borderlands Line (Limited Service) | Neston | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Shotton Line and station open | Chester & Connah's Quay Railway | Sealand Line and station closed |
The Buckley Railway was opened from Buckley to a connection with the Chester to Holyhead main line on 7 June 1862, to convey coal and finished brickworks products from the Buckley area. Numerous short tramroads had existed in the area from the 1700s. The line was steeply graded and sharply curved.
The Shrewsbury–Chester line is a railway line between Chester and Shrewsbury in England, with the line passing through Wrexham in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between Chester, in the north, and Shrewsbury, in the south, as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. Some additional services, starting part way along the line to London Euston via Chester are operated by Avanti West Coast. The line was built in 1846 by the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway, with the engineer for the line being Henry Robertson, a partner in locomotive builders Beyer Peacock, while the contractor was Thomas Brassey in partnership with William Mackenzie and Robert Stephenson. The line is part of Transport for Wales' North Wales Metro improvement programme.
Deeside is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee that flows from neighbouring Chester into the Dee Estuary. These include Connah's Quay, Shotton, Queensferry, Aston, Garden City, Sealand, Broughton, Bretton, Hawarden, Ewloe, Mancot, Pentre, Saltney and Sandycroft. The population is around 50,000, with a plurality (17,500) living in Connah's Quay.
Bidston railway station serves the village of Bidston, Merseyside, England. The station is situated at a junction of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral line, which is part of the Merseyrail network; it also serves as the northern terminus for the Borderlands line from Wrexham Central, with services operated by Transport for Wales.
The Borderlands line, also known as the Bidston–Wrexham or Wrexham–Bidston line, is a railway line between Bidston on the Wirral Peninsula in England and Wrexham Central in the north-east of Wales. Passenger train services are part of the Wales & Borders franchise and are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The line connects to the Merseyrail network at Bidston, the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton and the Shrewsbury–Chester line at Wrexham General. Parts of the line in Wales are used by freight trains, serving Deeside Industrial Park and the Hanson Cement works to the south of Buckley.
Shotton railway station serves the towns of Shotton and Connah's Quay, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated where the Borderlands Line crosses the North Wales Coast Line. All passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales, which manages the station.
Hawarden Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Dee, near Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, as part of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway. It opened on 3 August 1889.
Wrexham General is the main railway station serving the city of Wrexham, north-east Wales, and one of the two serving the city, alongside Wrexham Central. It is currently operated and mostly served by Transport for Wales, with some additional services provided by Avanti West Coast to London Euston.
Upton railway station serves the village of Upton and the Noctorum area of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The station is situated on the Borderlands line. Transport for Wales operates the station and all trains serving it.
Heswall railway station is a railway station on the eastern edge of the town of Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It is on the Borderlands Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Transport for Wales. In 2008 the station was refurbished. The station was previously known as Heswall Hills, as there was previously another station serving Heswall, on the Birkenhead Railway's branch line from West Kirby to Hooton, that is now a footpath known as the Wirral Way.
Wrexham Central railway station is the smaller of two railway stations serving the central area of Wrexham in Wales, the other being Wrexham General. The platform can accommodate a three car diesel train, but has room for platform extension. It is the southern terminus of the Borderlands Line, also known as the Wrexham-Bidston line, which links north-east Wales to Merseyside.
Hawarden railway station serves the village of Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the Borderlands Line 10½ miles (17 km) north of Wrexham Central and all passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales. The station is unstaffed.
Buckley railway station serves the town of Buckley in Flintshire, Wales. The station is 8½ miles (14 km) north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.
Penyffordd railway station serves the village of Penyffordd in Flintshire, Wales. The station is 7¼ miles (12 km) north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.
Caergwrle railway station serves the village of Caergwrle in Flintshire, Wales. The station is 4¾ miles (7 km) north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.
Cefn-y-bedd railway station serves the village of Cefn-y-bedd in Flintshire, Wales. The station is 4 miles (6 km) north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line. It was opened in 1866 by the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway, which later became part of the Great Central Railway system.
Gwersyllt railway station serves the area of Gwersyllt in the city of Wrexham in North Wales. It is one of five stations in the Wrexham County Borough.
Chester Liverpool Road was a station on the former Chester & Connah's Quay Railway between Chester Northgate and Hawarden Bridge. It was located at the junction of Liverpool Road and Brook Lane in Chester, Cheshire, England.
Saughall was a railway station on the former Chester & Connah's Quay Railway between Chester Northgate and Hawarden Bridge. It was 0.63 miles (1.01 km) from the village of Saughall, Cheshire. Although it was named for the village, it was actually in Flintshire, Wales.
Sealand, in Flintshire, Wales, was the final station on the former Chester & Connah's Quay Railway between Chester Northgate in Cheshire, England and Hawarden Bridge in Flintshire. Services also passed through this station before joining the North Wales and Liverpool Railway. Located 200 metres (660 ft) west of the A550 near RAF Sealand, the station was just before a triangular junction at Dee marshes which controlled rail services from North Wales, Liverpool and Cheshire.