Wrexham General railway station

Wrexham General Welsh:Wrecsam Cyffredinol
Wrexham General railway station
General information
Location	Wrexham,Wrexham County Borough Wales
Coordinates	53°03′03″N3°00′05″W
Grid reference	SJ329508
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Line(s)	Shrewsbury–Chester Borderlands
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	WRX
Classification	DfT categoryD
History
Opened	1846 Rebuilt 1912 Cafe and new platforms opened 2008 Platform 4 and footbridge rebuilt 2011
Passengers
2018/19	0.512 million
2019/20	0.502 million
2020/21	0.128 million
2021/22	0.400 million
2022/23	0.489 million
Listed Building– Grade II
Feature	Wrexham General Station: Entrance Building
Designated	5 September 1986
Reference no.	1855
Notes Passenger statistics from theOffice of Rail and Road

Wrexham General(Welsh:Wrecsam Cyffredinol) is the main railway station serving the city ofWrexham,north-eastWales,and one of the two serving the city, alongsideWrexham Central.It is currently operated and mostly served byTransport for Wales,with some additional services provided byAvanti West CoasttoLondon Euston.

The station was first opened in 1846, later becoming part of theGreat Western Railway(GWR) network and expanded in 1912. It is one of three railway stations in the central area of the city, one now part of General, namedWrexham Exchange,the other beingWrexham Central.It is the main hub for inter-city services in the area, and as a result 78% of all rail journeys (2006/07) in Wrexham County Borough start or end at the station. It is also a major hub for inter-city services in North Wales.

Until the early 1980s what is now platform 4 of Wrexham General, serving theWrexham Central – Bidstonservice, was a separate station: Wrexham Exchange.

History

In 1846 the first steam trains began the Railway Age in Wrexham. The line was originally called TheNorth Wales Mineral Railwayand 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 first was the original was built by theShrewsbury and Chester RailwayinJacobean stylewithDutch gablepediments. The architect for that station was Mr Thomas Penson ofWrexham,who also designed theShrewsburyandGobowenstations. It was built on the edge of Wrexham, then a town which was heavily industrialised with many coal mines and steelworks to attract railway companies.

The second station building was constructed by theGreat Western Railway(GWR) in 1912. The company decided the increasing rail traffic needed newer and more efficient facilities so the station was rebuilt to a standardised GWR 'French Pavilion' design, including ornate crestings on the roof "towers". The station design was unique in that it used stonework from the original building instead of standard red brick. It survived theBeeching cutsof the 1960s, as a through route for steel produced in Shotton and wood for theChirkMDFfactory.

On 24 April 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.That prompted a massive refurbishing, including new canopies, a jetwash of the blackened sandstone buildings, and platform retiling along all main platforms. The out-of-use bay platform saw no improvements and retained its 1970s lighting until 2008, when it was refurbished by the Welsh Assembly.

The suffix "General" was used by the GWR and later theWestern Region of British Railwaysto differentiate their main stations from others in the area, which belonged to other companies. Following theBeeching axe,Wrexham General remains the only "General" station on theNational Railnetwork, and other "General" stations (includingShrewsbury GeneralandChester General,which were simply renamed "Shrewsbury" and "Chester" respectively) lost the suffix or (likeCardiff General,the last station to lose the "General" suffix) were re-dubbed as "Central" stations. Because of the continued presence of two stations serving Wrexham, the other being titledWrexham Central,the "General" suffix was retained.

Until 1967, Wrexham General was served by GWR, latterly BR Western Region, express services between London Paddington and Birkenhead Woodside, which were withdrawn upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.

Wrexham Exchange

Wrexham Exchange station building

Wrexham Exchange, which is now platform 4 of Wrexham General, was originally a separate railway station opened in May 1866 for theWrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway(WMCQR). By the time that WMCQR had been bought by theGreat Central Railway,the line was a through station connecting to theCambrian RailwaysWrexham Central Railway Station.The station changed hands again in 1921 during theGrouping,to theLondon and North Eastern Railway,as one of their few stations in Wales.Wrexham Exchangewas named as such from 18 June 1951, withWrexham Generalapplying to all platforms from 1 June 1981.One of the two platforms was put out of use to passengers from August 1973and was converted to a car park for Wrexham & Shropshire staff in 2008. Since the demise of that service the platform area has been out of regular use.

Services

Wrexham General benefits from inter-city services towardsHolyhead,Liverpool Lime Street,Birmingham InternationalviaBirmingham New Street,Cardiff Central,London Eustonand a Sundays-only service toManchester Piccadilly.

The station is also situated on theBorderlands Line,providing local services towardsDeesideandMerseysidefor connections toLiverpool Central.

Transport for Wales

Main weekday services

A Transport for WalesClass 158going to Holyhead

• Borderlands Line:Wrexham CentraltoBidston– mostly operated byClass 197andClass 230diesel multiple units.
• Cardiff-Holyhead:Cardiff CentraltoHolyhead,viaNewport,Hereford,Shrewsbury,Chester,Llandudno JunctionandBangorwith some southbound services continuing toLlanelli,viaPort Talbot,NeathandSwansea– mostly operated byClass 175diesel multiple units.
• Birmingham-Holyhead:Birmingham Internationalto Holyhead, viaWolverhampton,Telford Centraland Shrewsbury – mostly operated byClass 158diesel multiple units.
• Premier Service:Cardiff Central to Holyhead, Newport, Shrewsbury, Chester, Llandudno Junction and Bangor (one service in each direction on weekdays) – this service commenced in early May 2011 using Class 175 DMUs and now runs as adiesel locomotivepush-pullservice;Class 67,Mark 4Driving Van TrailerandMark 4 coachsets are employed on this route.

Other services

• Birmingham-Warrington:Birmingham International toWarrington Bank Quay,via Chester andRuncorn East(one evening service on weekdays northbound only) – operated by a variety of diesel multiple units.
• Chester/Shrewsbury (Shuttle Service):including Chester to Wrexham General or Shrewsbury to Wrexham General (these services operate in early morning/late evening as to transfer rolling stock between mainline and Borderlands line services and to allow passengers from Gobowen, Chirk and Ruabon to connect with mainline services at Wrexham) – mostly operated by Class 150 diesel multiple units
• Wrexham – Liverpool, via Chester andRuncornusing theHalton Curve

Avanti West Coast

• Avanti West Coastcurrently operate only one daily weekday service which departs at 07:00 to London Euston, calling at Chester,CreweandRugby.This service is operated byClass 221Super VoyagerandClass 805Everounits. The service to Chester is attached at the rear end of the train, splitting up at Chester and vice versa.

Normal Service Pattern

Transport for Wales– Borderlands Line:

• 3tp2h to Bidston via Shotton (platform 4, except for the first morning train each day which uses platform 3)
• 3tp2h to Wrexham Central (platform 4)

Transport for Wales – North-South services via the Shrewsbury to Chester Line:

• 1tph to Holyhead via Chester (platform 2)
• 1tph to Shrewsbury via Ruabon, Chirk and Gobowen (platform 1), of which:
  • 1tp2h continues to Cardiff Central with some extending to Maesteg or Carmarthen
  • 1tp2h continues to Birmingham International via Birmingham New Street
• Peak services to Liverpool Lime Street via Chester and Runcorn.
• 1tpdPremier Serviceto Cardiff Central (platform 1)
• 1tpdPremier Serviceto Holyhead (platform 2)

Avanti West Coast (Mon-Fri only)

• 1tpd to London Euston/Chester (platform 2)

Evenings and Sundays

In the evenings and Sundays, there is a slightly different pattern of service; all services are operated by Transport for Wales.

• 2tp3h to Bidston
• 2tp3h to Wrexham Central
• 1tph to Shrewsbury, with 1tp2h extending to Wolverhampton and Birmingham and 2tpd to Hereford and South Wales
• 1tph to Chester with 1tp2h extending to Warrington Bank Quay or Manchester Piccadilly and a small number to Holyhead

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		Avanti West Coast Wrexham General to London Euston		Chester
Terminus		Transport for Wales Wrexham General to Liverpool Lime Street		Chester
Shrewsbury		Transport for Wales Welsh Marches Line		Chester
Shrewsbury		Transport for Wales Premier Service		Chester
Shrewsbury/Ruabon		Transport for Wales Cardiff Central – Holyhead		Chester
Ruabon		Transport for Wales Birmingham – Holyhead (via Chester)		Chester
Ruabon		Transport for Wales Shrewsbury to Wrexham General Line		Terminus
Wrexham Central		Transport for Wales Borderlands Line		Gwersyllt
	Historical railways
Rhos		Great Western Railway Shrewsbury to Chester Line		Rhosrobin Halt
Plas Power (WMR) Line and station closed		Great Western Railway Wrexham and Minera Railway		Terminus
Gatewen Halt Line and station closed

Facilities and further passenger information

• Self service ticket machines are available
• Ticket hall with counters for ticket purchase and information points is available
• All platforms have monitors showing the next three trains to depart or terminate are in use
• All platforms have announcements
• There is ataxi rankat this station
• Regular buses call at this station
• There is a largepay and displaycar parkat this station
• There are three entrances/exits to the station, one via the main ticket hall. Another on platform one near the overpass. The third is located on Mold road connecting to platform 4
• Disabled access to whole station
• Lifts to all platforms via main over pass
• All regular north and south bound long-distance trains have at seat orbuffet carcatering
• Waiting rooms are located on the island platforms
• This station is covered by a roof
• Regular BTP security checks are carried out throughout this station

Layout

A layout map of Wrexham General

Wrexham General comprises four operational platforms with two disused bay platforms at the southern end of Platform 1. These were used for trains toBarmouthvia theRuabon Barmouthline until the 1960s. Platforms 1 and 2 are on the mainChestertoShrewsburyline, platform 3 being on an island platform opposite 2; and platform 4, until the mid-1980s a separate formerGreat Central Railwaystation namedWrexham Exchange,was on the ex-Ellesmere to Bidston line, now the Wrexham to BidstonBorderlands Line.Platform 5, once opposite and on the same route as platform 4, became disused when the line was singled, however in 2008 it has been re-surfaced and is now a private parking space.

• Platform 1 can accommodate a 10 car train,and is used for long distance southbound intercity passenger services toShrewsbury,and onwards toBirmingham International(viaTelford Central) orCardiff Central,operated by Transport for Wales, and for services terminating at Wrexham from Chester and London Euston. Due to signalling constraints, trains cannot depart to the north.
• Platform 2 can accommodate a 10 car train,and is used for regular northbound passenger inter city and regional services toChesterand services onwards to theNorth Wales Coastline toHolyheadand for services to Manchester Piccadilly via Chester and Runcorn, operated by Transport for Wales. Inter city Services toLondon Euston(via Chester and Crewe) are also provided on this platform by Avanti West Coast. Due to signalling constraints, trains cannot depart to the south.
• Platform 3 can accommodate a 7 car train,and was used for regular passenger services toLondon Marylebonevia Shrewsbury, Telford Central and Tame Bridge, operated by Wrexham & Shropshire. This platform is now used by a small number of Borderlands Line passenger services (usually the first northbound and last southbound train each day), for services terminating at Wrexham from Shrewsbury and for freight services changing between the Shrewsbury-Chester line and the Borderlands line. This platform is signalled bidirectionally, so trains can depart either south towards Shrewsbury or north towards Bidston, although no services from Shrewsbury currently depart on the Borderlands line and vice versa. In practice this platform is used for trains terminating from either direction.
• Platform 4 is located outside the main station canopy and is used for regular branch line passenger services northbound toBidston,and toWrexham Centralin the opposite direction, operated by Transport for Wales. This platform is signalled bidirectionally, so trains can depart either south towards Wrexham Central or north towards Bidston.

Recent developments

The station is currently undergoing a renaissance as a number of new services have been introduced. Since 2005 the station has been a stop of the two hourlyCardifftoHolyheadTransport for Walesservice (introduced by previous franchise operatorArriva Trains Wales,which occasionally extends toLlanelli.The two hourlyBirminghamservice has also been extended toBirmingham InternationalandHolyhead.

In April 2008,Ieuan Wyn JonesAM, theDeputy First Minister for Walesopened a new WrexhamNetwork Raildepot. 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 byWrexham & Shropshire,who utilised the depot until services toLondon Marylebonestopped in January 2011.

From February 2009 a cafe has opened on the station in formerly empty office space. In June 2011, construction began on the increased access for disabled people to platform four. The existing footbridge between platforms three and four was removed in preparation for the construction of a new footbridge which includes alifton Platform four. This obviates the use of the road bridge for disabled access to platform four. The new bridge has been built to modern standards but in a style sympathising with the rest of the station design. The footbridge was installed in a record 12 hours and atimelapse videowas shot of the event.

On 20 March 2012 it was announced that sections of the North to South Wales line would be upgraded along the Wrexham section of the line to a total of £46 million worth of improvements. These include redoubling the Wrexham – Chester section, and upgrading sections of the line to allow for 90 mph running throughout. This will allow for an increase in traffic between Wrexham and Chester, including further London services and a possibility of regular services to new destinations. One report has suggested extending the hourly First TransPennine ExpressHull–Manchester Piccadillyservice to Wrexham via Chester, which would provide a direct service to Manchester, Leeds and Hull. Other suggestions include extending the current hourly Chester – Crewe shuttle service south to Wrexham and north to Manchester (via Manchester Airport).Although the engineering work completed in April 2017, no new developments are anticipated until late 2017 at the earliest.

Transport for Wales have confirmed plans to introduce peak time services to and from Liverpool Lime Street via Chester and Runcorn, along theHalton Curve,from May 2019.

Gallery

• 
  Platform 1
• 
  The footbridge, viewed from platform 2
• 
  Platform 3
• 
  Platform 4 serves the Borderlands Line

Oswestry, Gwersyllt, Plas Power &Wrexhamon theRailway Clearing Housemap.

References

Sources

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2013).Wrexham to New Brighton.West Sussex: Middleton Press.ISBN9781908174475.OCLC859543196.

Further reading

• Hendry, R. Preston; Hendry, R. Powell (1992).Paddington to the Mersey.Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 114–115.ISBN9780860934424.OCLC877729237.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010).Shrewsbury to Chester.Middleton Press. figs. 77-90.ISBN9781906008703.OCLC495274299.

External links

• Chester to Shrewsbury Rail PartnershipArchived21 October 2009 at theWayback Machine

• Train timesandstation informationfor Wrexham General railway station fromNational Rail