General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Newtown, Powys Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 52°30′44″N3°18′43″W / 52.51222°N 3.31194°W | ||||
Grid reference | SO111913 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | NWT | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Oswestry and Newtown Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Cambrian Railways | ||||
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 0.152 million | ||||
2020/21 | 22,420 | ||||
2021/22 | 87,598 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.124 million | ||||
2023/24 | 0.140 million | ||||
Listed Building –Grade II | |||||
Feature | Railway Station | ||||
Designated | 9 May 1988 | ||||
Reference no. | 8112 [1] | ||||
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Newtown railway station (Welsh :Y Drenewydd) is a railway station serving Newtown,Powys,Wales.
Newtown was the last major station before Moat Lane Junction where the Mid-Wales Railway,to Llanidloes,Rhayader,Builth Road and on to Cardiff (with a branch to Brecon),diverged from the Cambrian Railways main line (today's Cambrian Line) to Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.
It was also originally served by the (now mostly defunct) Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (opened in 1859 and initially isolated from the rest of the Welsh railway system) and the Oswestry and Newtown Railway (opened in 1861). All were subsequently subsumed into the Cambrian by 1865.The station was the eastern terminus of the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway opened by the Countess of Londonderry at Machynlleth station on 3 January 1863. [2]
The Mid-Wales line passenger service was withdrawn on 31 December 1962,though trains to and from this route latterly started and terminated at Moat Lane Junction. Services to Oswestry and Whitchurch via the former O&NR Cambrian main line ended in January 1965,when the route east of Buttington closed to passenger traffic as a consequence of the Beeching cuts.
The station currently has two through platforms,which are used separately for trains in either direction. The station is usually used as one of the passing points for trains on the Cambrian Line as it is a single track. The station has one west facing bay platform/siding which is periodically used as a storage point for Network Rail's departmental trains.
There is a Transport for Wales appointed "Station Agent" with full ticket issuing facilities in the main building. It also has a computer training centre. Train running information is provided by digital CIS displays,automatic announcements and customer help points on both platforms. Step-free access is available on both platforms,but the ramp to access Platform 2 is not suitable for wheelchair or mobility scooter users. [3]
From December 2023,construction on a new accessible footbridge with lifts began,with it hoped to be completed by the end of 2024. [4] Undertaken by Network Rail,the construction utilises funding from the Department for Transport's "Access for All" programme. [5]
Trains run from here westwards to Machynlleth and then either Aberystwyth or Pwllheli via Barmouth (most trains convey a portion for both routes) and eastwards to Shrewsbury and Birmingham International. There is a basic two-hourly service each way –on weekdays and Saturdays there are also some additional Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth services during the mornings and evenings. On Sundays there is a two-hourly service on the Shrewsbury –Aberystwyth axis,but only a limited service along the coast to/from Pwllheli (three in summer and one in winter). [6]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Transport for Wales Cambrian Line | ||||
Historical railways | ||||
Scafell Halt Line open, station closed | Cambrian Railways Llanidloes and Newtown Railway Oswestry and Newtown Railway | Abermule Line open, station closed |
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham to the north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown, and the administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells.
The Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles (370 km) 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. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the northwest of England via the London and North Western Railway, and the Great Western Railway for connections between London and Wales. The Cambrian Railways amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The name is continued today in the route known as the Cambrian Line.
The Cambrian Line, sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between the western terminals of Pwllheli, in Gwynedd, and Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, and the eastern terminal at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. The railway line is widely regarded as scenic, as it passes through the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales, and along the coast of Cardigan Bay in Snowdonia National Park.
Dovey Junction is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in Wales. It is the junction where the line splits into the line to Aberystwyth and the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli. Passenger services are provided by Transport for Wales. There is a single island platform.
Shrewsbury railway station serves the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969. Many services starting at or passing through the station are bound for Wales, and it is a key hub for its operator, Transport for Wales; services are also provided by West Midlands Railway.
Welshpool railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales. It was first opened in August 1860, but the current station was opened in May 1992 to allow for track re-alignment, the same day that the original closed, and is a short distance from the original. The station serves the town of Welshpool, as well as its surroundings.
Caersws railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Caersws. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Machynlleth, the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales.
Machynlleth railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the town of Machynlleth. It was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway (N&MR) and subsequently passed into the ownership of the Cambrian Railways, the Great Western Railway, Western Region of British Railways and London Midland Region of British Railways. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Caersws, the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales.
Barmouth railway station serves the seaside town of Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Tywyn, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the Barmouth Bridge.
Aberdovey railway station serves the seaside resort of Aberdyfi in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every two hours calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, including Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
Telford Central railway station serves the town of Telford, Shropshire, England. It is located on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line and is operated by West Midlands Trains. It is situated close to the Telford Shopping Centre, the main commercial district of the town.
Whitchurch (Shropshire) railway station serves the town of Whitchurch in Shropshire, England. The station is 18¾ miles (30 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line. The station is maintained and served by Transport for Wales.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company, running a line along the west coast of Wales.
Llanidloes railway station is a former junction railway station in Llanidloes, Powys, Wales. The Cambrian Railways, which completed the building in 1864, designed it to be both the station for the town and its company headquarters. This dual purpose gave Llanidloes station an imposing appearance.
The Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (L&NR) was a railway company between Llanidloes and Newtown in Montgomeryshire, Wales. It was promoted locally when plans for trunk railways passing through the locality were cancelled; local people saw that a railway connection was essential to the flannel industry in the district. The 17-mile (27 km) line opened in 1859, and at first was isolated from any other railway, but from 1861 it became connected to Oswestry by an allied railway company, and other companies also connected to it. From 1864 the company was incorporated into the new Cambrian Railways company.
Carno is a closed railway station in Carno, on the Cambrian Line, that was part of the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway. The station was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching Cuts though there are proposals to re-open it.
Moat Lane Junction was a railway junction in Montgomeryshire near to the village of Caersws in mid-Wales. It was the junction where the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway opened in 1863 diverged from the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway which opened four years earlier. Although having only three through platforms, by rural standards it was a busy interchange station and in its heyday possessed a refreshment room.
The Oswestry and Newtown Railway (O&NR) was a British railway company that built a line between Oswestry in Shropshire and Newtown Montgomeryshire, now Powys. The line opened in stages in 1860 and 1861. It was conceived to open up the area to rail transport, when local opinion formed the view that the trunk railway companies would not do so. Subscription money for the construction proved very difficult to generate. It was the action of a contractor partnership, Davies and Savin, in agreeing to accept shares as the majority of their payment for construction work, that saved the company from failure.
The Newtown and Machynlleth Railway was a railway company in Wales. It built a line from a junction with the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway near Caersws to the market town of Machynlleth; the line opened in 1862. Newtown had become the hub of railway lines in the district. Machynlleth was an important town, and extension from there to Aberystwyth and to the coast northward was in the minds of the promoters.
Llandinam railway station was a station serving Llandinam, Powys, on the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (L&NR) line. The L&NR was authorised in August 1853; construction began in October 1855 and the line was opened between those points for goods traffic only on 30 April 1859 – passengers were carried from 31 August 1859. Llandinam was one of three intermediate stations on the 13-mile line. The station was opened in 1859 by David Davies who was born in Llandinam and was a major contractor for building the line. In July 1864 the L&NR amalgamated with three other railways to create the Cambrian Railways, which in January 1922 amalgamated with the Great Western Railway which itself became part of British Railways in 1948.
Media related to Newtown (Powys) railway station at Wikimedia Commons