Telford Central railway station
Telford Central | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Telford and Wrekin |
| Managed by | West Midlands Trains |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | TFC |
| History | |
| Opened | 12 May 1986[1] |
Telford Central railway station serves the new town of Telford, England. It is situated close to the town centre, the main commercial district of the town. It is located on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) north west of Wolverhampton and is operated by West Midlands Trains.
History
The new town of Telford was designated in the 1960s, but until the 1980s it was served only by two railway stations which predated it, Oakengates and Wellington, although Wellington was at one stage renamed "Wellington-Telford West" to indicate that it was located in the new town. The line through Telford also boasted a further station in the form of New Hadley Halt between Oakengates and Wellington until 1986, its closure coinciding with the opening of the nearby Telford Central station.
The situation changed in May 1986, when Telford Central opened. The new station was equipped with full-length platforms to accommodate inter-city trains, and a large car park, which took advantage of the station's location next to the M54 motorway to provide a park and ride facility. The £700,000 cost was jointly funded by British Rail, the Telford Development Corporation and Shropshire County Council.
The station and car park were built on the former Hollinswood sidings that served the Lilleshall Company and local industry.[2]
Facilities
The station is staffed all week, with the ticket office open Monday - Saturday 06:00 - 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 - 17:00. A ticket machine is provided in the booking hall for use outside these times and for the collection of pre-paid tickets. A coffee kiosk, photo booth and toilets are also located in the main building on platform 1 (for Wolverhampton and Birmingham), whilst platform 2 (Shrewsbury and beyond) has bench seating and a waiting shelter only. CIS displays, automatic announcements and timetable posters provide train running information. Step-free access is available to both platforms (via ramped footbridge or public roads).[3]
Services
Currently (summer 2017), the Monday-Saturday off-peak service comprises two trains per hour in each direction. One, operated by Arriva Trains Wales, runs between Birmingham International and Shrewsbury, with alternate trains continuing to Aberystwyth & Pwllheli or Holyhead via Chester. The other trains are West Midlands Railway services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street, which call at all stations between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. On Sundays, all services are operated by ATW - these comprise an hourly fast service (Chester or Aberystwyth to Birmingham International) and a two-hourly stopping service (Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton) each way.[4]
Although the station was built to accommodate inter-city trains to/from London Euston, British Rail services ceased in the early 1990s and Virgin Trains withdrew a short-lived, (trial) daily service between Shrewsbury and London in 2000. A new company, Wrexham & Shropshire, reintroduced express services (to London Marylebone) on 28 April 2008; these were withdrawn following the last train on 28 January 2011. As of December 2014 Virgin Trains have re-introduced two daily services to and from London Euston.[5][6]
Passenger numbers using the station annually exceeded the 1 million mark for the first time in the 2011-12 financial year.
References
- ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2009). Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. p. 84. ISBN 978 1 906008 44 4.
- ^ Clarke, Neil (2015). Railways of East Shropshire. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-4456-4022-8.
- ^ Telford Central Station Facilities National Rail Enquiries
- ^ GB eNRT May 2017 Edition, Tables 74, 75 & 76
- ^ "Blackpool and Shrewsbury direct rail services to London approved" BBC News article, 22 September 2014
- ^ Table 66 National Rail timetable, May 2017
External links
- Train times and station information for Telford Central railway station from National Rail
