Shrewsbury railway station

Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury station frontage
General information
Location	Shrewsbury, Shropshire England
Grid reference	SJ494129
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Line(s)	Welsh Marches Wolverhampton–Shrewsbury Shrewsbury–Chester Cambrian
Platforms	5 (numbered 3-7)
Other information
Station code	SHR
Classification	DfT category C1
Key dates
1848	Opened
Passengers
2018/19	2.226 million
Interchange	0.234 million

v t e Shrewsbury railway station
Legend
3 4 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

There are five platforms in use, numbered 3 to 7 (platforms 1 and 2 have been disused since the 1980s and have no track; around 2019 platform 2 was dismantled). Of these, platforms 4 to 7 are grouped on a main island, while platforms 1 to 3 are separate, located by the main station building. The platforms are numbered in order from west (Shrewsbury Castle side) to east (The Dana side) from 1 to 7.

Platform 3 was until recently only used by trains running in from the Wolverhampton direction and out towards Chester. Changes made in 2010 to the signalling and track now allow additional passenger trains (those coming in from and going out to the Hereford, Heart of Wales and Cambrian lines) to use platform 3. A passenger lift was opened on the platform in 2009 and a waiting room opened shortly after. A lift has also been built for access to platforms 4–7, making the station fully accessible for wheelchair and mobility-impaired users.

Platforms 4 and 7 are through platforms, usually used for trains between Holyhead (via Chester and Wrexham General) and Cardiff Central/Birmingham International and between Manchester Piccadilly (via Crewe) and Cardiff Central, Carmarthen, and Milford Haven. Platforms 5 and 6 are bay platforms, used mainly for trains to and from Aberystwyth and Birmingham, as well as trains for the Heart of Wales Line and local stopping trains to Birmingham New Street.

The island platforms are connected to the main station building and platform 3 by a pedestrian subway running underneath the station. A pedestrian footbridge over the platforms still exists but has long been disconnected from the station; instead, it is a public walkway allowing pedestrians to cross over the station area, and part of a route named "The Dana". All platforms are fitted with CIS screens and automatic announcement speakers and there are customer help points on platforms 3 and 4. A Starbucks, toilets, and vending machines selling snacks and drinks are sited between platforms 4 and 7. ^[9] As of November 2024, a small cafe has opened on the first floor of the main station building before the ticket gates. ^[10]

Ticket gates are in operation at the entrance to platforms 4 to 7, with the nearby ticket office staffed throughout the week. Self-service ticket machines are also available for buying tickets or collecting tickets for pre-booked journeys. ^[9]

Wall separating "platform 8"

Opposite platform 7 is a high wall that divides the rest of the station from what could be considered to be platform 8. This platform does not see any use and was built for the use of transporting prisoners from HM Prison Shrewsbury.^{[ citation needed ]} (The prison gateway, surmounted by bust of prison reformer John Howard, is visible from platform 7.) It is believed that this platform was only used a few times each year between 1868 up until just before the First World War.^{[ citation needed ]}

Services

v t e Railway lines in Shrewsbury
Legend
Shrewsbury–Chester line Welsh Marches line towards Crewe Shrewsbury River Severn Wolverhampton–Shrewsbury line Cambrian Line Welsh Marches line towards Hereford

Transport for Wales

• Alternate hourly service from Holyhead via Chester and Wrexham General to Birmingham International or Cardiff Central. ^[11]
• Two-hourly services from Aberystwyth and Pwllheli via the Cambrian Line to Birmingham International which merge at Machynlleth. ^[12] Some additional Aberystwyth trains start and finish here at certain times of day. Some late evening services also terminate at Machynlleth.
• Hourly services from Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central via the Welsh Marches Line. Most services on this route extend to Swansea and Carmarthen, with through running to Milford Haven every two hours. Some services terminate at Tenby, Maesteg or Pembroke Dock. There is also a two-hourly local stopping service to Crewe on this route. ^[13]
• Services via the Heart of Wales Line to Swansea. Five trains per day each way Monday–Saturday (plus two services to Llandrindod Wells except Saturdays) and two trains each way on Sundays. ^[14]
• Locomotive-hauled Premier Service between Holyhead and Cardiff Central via Chester. Three trains each way per day.
• Local Stopping services to Wrexham General (morning & late evening only)

All of the services above are operated by Class 150s, Class 153s, Class 158s or Class 197s, except the Premier Service which is operated by a Class 67 and Mark 4 coaching stock.

West Midlands Railway

• 1 train per hour to Birmingham New Street via Tame Bridge Parkway operated by Class 196s, calling at all stations. ^[15]
• 1 train per hour semi-fast to Birmingham New Street, calling at Wellington, Telford Central, Shifnal, Wolverhampton and Smethwick Galton Bridge. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

Former services

Prior to the June 2024 timetable change, Avanti West Coast operated a daily direct service to and from London Euston via Birmingham New Street and Coventry, with Class 221s. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		Transport for Wales Shrewsbury–Chester line		Gobowen
Church Stretton		Transport for Wales Welsh Marches line		Yorton
		Transport for Wales South – North Wales		Gobowen
		Transport for Wales Heart of Wales line		Terminus
Newport		Transport for Wales Premier Service		Wrexham General
Wellington		Transport for Wales Cambrian Line		Welshpool or Terminus
		Transport for Wales Birmingham – Chester		Gobowen
Wellington		West Midlands Railway Birmingham – Wolverhampton – Shrewsbury		Terminus
	Historical railways
Terminus		Great Western Railway Shrewsbury to Chester Line		Leaton Line open, station closed
Terminus		London, Midland and Scottish Railway Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway		Hadnall Line open, station closed
Terminus		Great Western Railway Severn Valley Railway		Berrington Line and station closed
Terminus		Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway		Hanwood Line open, station closed
Terminus		Shrewsbury and Wellington Joint Railway Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway		Abbey Foregate Line open, station closed

Accidents and incidents

• On 15 October 1907, a mail train hauled by Experiment class locomotive No. 2052 Stephenson was derailed at Shrewsbury due to excessive speed on a curve. Eighteen people were killed. ^[22]
• On 6 November 2017, an Arriva Trains Wales Class 175 DMU, numbered 175109, caught fire, causing the station to be evacuated for approximately two hours. There were no casualties but significant travel disruption occurred. ^[23]

See also

• Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (southeast central area)
• Shrewsbury Traction Maintenance Depot
• Railways of Shropshire

References

1. "HER no. 10126 - Shrewsbury Railway Station, Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury". Heritage Gateway. English Heritage . Retrieved 13 March 2010. A railway station built in 1849 and extended circa 1900, which is protected by Grade II Listing. The station became very congested in the later 19th century and was extensively rebuilt between 1899 and 1903 to cope with increased traffic. The bridge was widened, and the platforms extended onto it, and a basement story added.
2. "A Guide, Descriptive and Historical, Through the Town of Shrewsbury". Gutenburg. 1855. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
3. Denton, John Horsley (1986). Shrewsbury Railway Station: a brief history. Welshpool: J.H. Denton & T. Smith.
4. Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance. p. 194.
5. "Signal boxes removed and updated". BBC News. 1 October 2006.
6. Shrewsbury – Crewe Modular Re-Signalling Pilot Network Rail Consulting Projects site; Retrieved 3 August 2017
7. "ncg12007west409v1 crewe bank - closure of signal box" (PDF). Network Rail.
8. "Adrian the Rock - Signals at Severn Bridge Junction". Roscalen.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
9. Shrewsbury Station National Rail Enquiries
10. https://gourmetcoffeebar.co.uk/locations/
11. GB eNRT December 2022 Edition, Tables 75 & 131
12. GB eNRT December 2022 Edition, Table 75
13. GB eNRT December 2022 Edition, Table 131
14. Table 130 National Rail timetable, December 2022
15. "Train times | Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street | 2 June 2024 until 14 December 2024". West Midlands Railway.
16. "'Major' rail changes in timetable overhaul". BBC News. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
17. O'Brien, Lisa (13 March 2019). "New timetable includes later rail services between Shropshire and West Midlands". The Shropshire Star. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
18. GB eNRT May 2019 Edition, Table 74 (Network Rail)
19. "Blackpool and Shrewsbury direct rail services to London approved". BBC News. 22 September 2014.
20. "Scheduled timetable book for 10 December 2023 to 1 June 2024" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
21. Page, Tim (21 February 2024). "Direct rail service to London to end". BBC News. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
22. Trevena, Arthur (1980). Trains in Trouble. Vol. 1. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 24. ISBN   0-906899-01-X.
23. Rowden, Nathan (6 November 2017). "Trains cancelled and delayed after Shrewsbury Railway Station blaze drama - with pictures and video". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2009). Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury. Middleton Press. figs. 111-120. ISBN   9781906008444. OCLC   286385795.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Kidderminster to Shrewsbury. Middleton Press. figs. 112-120. ISBN   9781906008109. OCLC   154801530.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2008). Shrewsbury to Ludlow. Middleton Press. figs. 1-12. ISBN   9781906008215. OCLC   520487698.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Shrewsbury to Chester. Middleton Press. figs. 1-12. ISBN   9781906008703. OCLC   495274299.

External links

• Train times and station information for Shrewsbury railway station from National Rail
• Signalling around Shrewsbury station
  • Abbey Foregate Junction
  • Crewe Bank signal box
  • Crewe Junction signal box
  • Harlescott Crossing
  • Severn Bridge Junction signal box
  • Sutton Bridge Junction
• Shrewsbury station on navigable 1946 O.S. map
• Grade II listing entry

52°42′43″N2°45′00″W / 52.712°N 2.75°W / 52.712; -2.75