General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Gobowen, Shropshire England | ||||
Coordinates | 52°53′37″N3°02′14″W / 52.8935°N 3.0371°W | ||||
Grid reference | SJ303333 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Line(s) | Shrewsbury–Chester | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | GOB | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
12 October 1848 | Opened [1] | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 0.218 million | ||||
2020/21 | 37,790 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.154 million | ||||
2022/23 | 0.195 million | ||||
2023/24 | 0.218 million | ||||
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Gobowen railway station is a railway station on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line of the former Great Western Railway's London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside via Birmingham Snow Hill line,serving the village of Gobowen in Shropshire,England. It is the nearest station to the town of Oswestry.
The station building was designed by Thomas Mainwaring Penson, [2] and is a Grade II listed building. [3] The station was built between 1846 and 1848 by the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway in a notable Florentine (or Italianate) style with white stucco facing and a small turret. The awnings and the footbridge were added later by the Great Western Railway (the footbridge was demolished in 1987). Although a very small village,Gobowen was the junction station for the much larger regional town of Oswestry some three miles away. When rail services to Oswestry ceased in November 1966,Gobowen was retained as the railhead for the surrounding area. There is a scheme in progress to open this branch as a heritage railway. [4] Until 1967 Gobowen was served by the GWR,latterly BR Western Region,express services between London Paddington and Birkenhead Woodside.
Severn-Dee Travel was established in 1995 and managed by the late David Lloyd,who was also a keen campaigner for the restoration of a direct rail link between the area and London. Following his death,the Wrexham &Shropshire locomotive 67015 was named in his honour,and a replica nameplate from the locomotive can be seen in the booking office.
Gobowen station may become the northern terminus of the proposed Cambrian Heritage Railways line to Llynclys,Pant and Blodwel via Oswestry. Shropshire Council was to acquire the coal yard at Gobowen for railway-related uses,including car parking for the station. If the plans are fully realised,the station would have three platforms,one of which would be for the Heritage Railway. [5]
The main building,which was renovated in 2005,is used as small business space. The booking office is now located in the waiting room on the southbound platform. Unusually,it is not operated directly by the train operating company but by an independent travel agent,Severn-Dee Travel. It is staffed on weekdays from 07:15 to 16:00 and on Saturdays from 07:15 to midday. At other times tickets must be purchased on the train or from the ticket vending machines located on the platforms.
A vending machine and disabled access toilet is located in the ticket hall,with a ticket vending machine provided on both platforms. [6] Train running information is offered via CIS displays,timetable posters and automatic announcements. Level access to both platforms is via the staffed barrier level crossing at the north end which is controlled from the adjacent signal box. [7]
There are no waiting shelters,but canopies are provided on both platforms:
As of October 2018 [update] ,train services run on two routes:
These combine to give a basic hourly frequency between Shrewsbury and Chester (Mon - Sat). Two early morning northbound trains terminate short at Wrexham General on weekdays (one of which connects with the Avanti West Coast service to London Euston),whilst one morning and one evening train start from there. Others at the start and end of day run between Chester and Shrewsbury only,though there is also one late evening weekday through train to Manchester Piccadilly and three that run to Llandudno rather than Holyhead (with one in the opposite direction). On Sundays,there is a two-hourly service (with occasional extras) each way,mostly running between Chester and Birmingham International (though there are three trains to Holyhead and two to Cardiff). [8]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Shrewsbury | Transport for Wales Shrewsbury to Chester Line | Chirk | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Whittington Low Level | Great Western Railway Shrewsbury to Chester Line | Weston Rhyn | ||
Park Hall Halt Line and station closed | Great Western Railway Oswestry to Gobowen Branch | Terminus |
Arriva Trains Wales was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales, including Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham General and Holyhead, as well as to certain stations in England such as Hereford, Shrewsbury, Chester, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street.
The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.
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Gobowen is a village in Shropshire, England, about 3 miles north of Oswestry. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270.
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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.
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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.
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station located at Woodside, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire. It served both local services within Cheshire and long-distance services to southern England, including London.
Ruabon railway station 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.
Chirk railway station serves the town of Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The station is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line that is part of the former Great Western Railway mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside. The original 19th-century Chirk / Y Waun station building was demolished in 1987, without consultation, by the local council.
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Whittington Low Level railway station is a disused station and was one of two former railway stations in the village of Whittington, Shropshire, England.
The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, under the title the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway. It opened in 1846 from Chester to Ruabon, and in 1848 from Ruabon to Shrewsbury. It later merged with the Great Western Railway.