Chester railway station
Chester | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | City of Chester |
| Managed by | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Platforms | 9 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1848 |
Chester railway station is a railway station in the city of Chester, England. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, although Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Virgin Trains also run services there. It is situated to the north-east of the city centre. From 1875 to 1969 it was known as Chester General station.
A frequent bus service (free on presentation of a current railway ticket to or from Chester) operates between the railway station and the city centre.
History
Historically, Chester General station was a joint station between the Chester and Holyhead Railway, the Chester and Crewe Railway and the Chester and Birkenhead Railway. Later these became the London and North Western Railway and the Great Western Railway. The station dates from 1848, having an Italianate frontage designed by Francis Thompson. The station also has carved wooden owls at some strategic locations high in the roof beams to help deter feral pigeons.
From 1875, Chester was also served by Chester Northgate station (owned by the Cheshire Lines Committee); however, that station was closed in 1969 and is now the site of a leisure centre.
In 1972, the Chester General rail crash occurred in the station, causing severe damage to the building and the several trains involved.
Services
Chester lies on the North Wales Coast Line, which is served by two trains an hour operated by Arriva Trains Wales. Trains from Crewe and Cardiff alternately provide an hourly service to Bangor and Holyhead. From Manchester Piccadilly Arriva operate an hourly service to Llandudno. Arriva operate two trains per hour between Chester and Crewe.
Virgin Trains operate services from London Euston via the West Coast Main Line to Llandudno (one daily) and Holyhead (four daily). Virgin recently announced plans for an hourly service from Chester to London, with some services running beyond Chester to Holyhead and the remaining services terminating at Chester.
Arriva Trains Wales also operate the Shrewsbury to Chester Line, with trains to Wrexham and Shrewsbury approximately every hour. Alternate trains continue beyond Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street, and to Cardiff Central.
Chester is also the terminus of the Mid-Cheshire Line from Manchester Piccadilly via Northwich.
The historic Chester and Birkenhead Railway is now a branch of Merseyrail's Wirral Line from Liverpool and Birkenhead. These Merseyrail services use third rail electrification and at Chester operate exclusively from platform 7.
There are also proposals under consideration to re-open the Halton Curve south of Runcorn railway station to passenger trains, which would permit the re-introduction of through trains from Liverpool to the North Wales Coast.
In mid 2005, Arriva Trains Wales announced a plan to improve the condition of the station, as Chester General had been well known for its neglected appearance. The planned modifications include improvements to ticketing facilities, a general clean up of the platforms, and the installation of ticket barriers. The first of these improvements to be implemented was the ticket barriers, which came into operation July 2006.
Trivia
The station marks one end of the Baker Way, a footpath leading to Delamere railway station.
External links
- Train times and station information for Chester railway station from National Rail
- Chester Station entry at Chester Wiki
- Station information from Merseyrail
- Garry Brookes Railway Photography
- Railway Clearing House Diagrams (diagram of railways in Chester from 1903)
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewe | Arriva Trains Wales North Wales Coast Line |
Shotton | ||
| Helsby | Arriva Trains Wales Chester to Manchester Line |
|||
| Wrexham General | Arriva Trains Wales Shrewsbury to Chester Line |
Terminus | ||
| Bache | Merseyrail Wirral Line |
Terminus | ||
| Mouldsworth | Northern Rail Mid-Cheshire Line |
Terminus | ||
| Crewe | Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line |
Flint | ||