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Ruabon railway station

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Railway station in Wrexham, Wales

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Ruabon
Welsh: RhiwabonNational Rail
The station building
General information
LocationRuabon, Wrexham
Wales
Coordinates52°59′14″N 3°02′36″W / 52.987176°N 3.043363°W / 52.987176; -3.043363
Grid referenceSJ303438
Managed byTransport for Wales
Line(s)Shrewsbury–Chester
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeRUA
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Opened4 November 1846
Passengers
2019/20Increase 99,122
2020/21Decrease 20,632
2021/22Increase 77,920
2022/23Increase 90,894
2023/24Increase 97,222
Listed Building – Grade II
FeatureRuabon Railway Station
Designated24 February 1983
Reference no.1719
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Ruabon railway station (Welsh: Rhiwabon) is a combined rail and bus interchange serving Ruabon, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is the second busiest station in Wrexham County Borough in terms of passenger journeys, after the mainline station, Wrexham General. It is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line, which is part of the former Great Western Railway mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside which lasted until 1967.

History

A fenced-off portion of the passenger footbridge leads to the disused platform

Ruabon station was originally larger than at present, with an extensive marshalling yard with a turntable and goods depot accompanying it, and was the terminus of the Ruabon to Barmouth line which ran via Llangollen, Corwen and Dolgellau. This branch line was a victim of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, closing to passengers in 1965 and completely three years later. The bay platform serving this route can still be seen at the station, whilst the old goods yard has been redeveloped as a housing estate.

The original station building was Italianate in style and was designed by the architect Thomas Penson and opened on 4 November 1846. However, this was replaced by the current neo-Tudor style stone buildings, designed by Henry Robertson, in 1860. In 1870, refreshment rooms were added between the platforms serving Chester and Barmouth.

Following further cuts in the national railway service, Ruabon station became an unstaffed halt in 1974. Only parts of both main platforms are now in use.

In 2009, Ruabon station was refurbished at a cost of £70,000. New shelters, lighting and passenger information system screens were provided as part of the Welsh Government-funded project.

Facilities

As noted, the station is unmanned but has a ticket vending machine where tickets must be purchased or collected before boarding. The main buildings on platform 2 are privately occupied. Train running information is offered via digital displays, automatic announcements, timetable posters and customer help points on each platform. Step-free access is only provided on platform 2, as platform 1 can only be reached via a footbridge with stairs. Ruabon Station is the only station on the Chester-Shrewsbury Line without step-free access. The stairs cause major problems for the disabled with passengers wishing to alight here being advised to go to Wrexham and return on the next train south. Access for those with prams and pushchairs is also very difficult if not impossible and a struggle for those with luggage or those less mobile.

Services

Currently, trains run on two routes operated by Transport for Wales:

A two-hourly service operates on Sundays to Chester and Birmingham International, with limited additional services to Cardiff and Holyhead.

Until January 2011 the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway provided regular daily services between Wrexham and London. This service ceased due to a continuing loss being made by the company.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Chirk   Transport for Wales
Shrewsbury to Wrexham General Line 		  Wrexham General
  Historical railways  
Rhosymedre Halt   Great Western Railway
Shrewsbury to Chester Line 		  Wynnville Halt
Acrefair   Great Western Railway
Ruabon to Barmouth Line 		  Terminus

Connections

A small number of local buses serve the station.

References

  1. Cadw. "Ruabon Railway Station (1719)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. Llangollen Railway - History of the Line Accessed 2014-06-03
  3. Llangollen Railway - History Accessed 2014-06-03
  4. ^ "Ruabon Railway Station" Wrexham History website article 2 October 2016; Retrieved 13 June 2017
  5. Hendry, R. Preston; Hendry, R. Powell (1992). Paddington to the Mersey. Oxford Publishing Company. p. 114. ISBN 9780860934424. OCLC 877729237.
  6. "New shelters arrive at Ruabon Railway Station as part of upgrade" Chester Chronicle news article 2 April 2009; Retrieved 13 June 2017
  7. Ruabon station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  8. "Disappointment as funding for disabled access at Ruabon station overlooked". The Leader. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  9. GB eNRT December 2018 Edition, Table 75 (Network Rail)
  10. https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/5_llangollen.pdf

Further reading

External links

Railway stations in Wrexham County Borough
Borderlands line
Shrewsbury–Chester line
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