Chepstow railway station

Coordinates: 51°38′24″N 2°40′16″W / 51.6399°N 2.6711°W / 51.6399; -2.6711

Chepstow National Rail
Welsh: Cas-gwent

Chepstow station
Location
Place Chepstow
Local authority Monmouthshire
Grid reference ST536936
Operations
Station code CPW
Managed by Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11 Increase 0.188 million
2011/12 Increase 0.203 million
2012/13 Increase 0.208 million
2013/14 Increase 0.217 million
2014/15 Increase 0.231 million
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Chepstow from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Chepstow railway station is a part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. Chepstow station is on the Gloucester to Newport Line. It is 330 yards (300 m) from the town centre, at Station Road. Chepstow is a historic walled border town and ancient port, situated at the southern end of the Wye Valley, two hours from London.

The line continues east from the station to Gloucester over the Chepstow railway bridge. It was formerly the junction station for the Wye Valley Railway to Monmouth Troy Station until this line closed to passengers in 1959. The railway now consists of a double track line with a trailing crossover to the east of the station, plus some disused track in the former yard.

Buildings

The single-storey buildings on the Gloucester/Birmingham side of the line are stone and timber-built structures, in an Italianate style. They were completed in 1850 for Brunel's South Wales Railway, and according to architectural historian John Newman were designed by N. Lancaster Owen.[1] A canopy provides shelter. On the more popular Newport/Cardiff side, there is just a small modern shelter.

Footbridge, in 2009

Access to this platform is via a cast-iron footbridge, making it difficult for passengers with pushchairs and the old and the infirm to cross. The footbridge is a now-rare survival of a typical GWR iron pattern, still with its wooden cladding and canopy, and is Grade II listed.[2] It was cast in Edward Finch's ironworks, adjoining the station.

Other Grade II listings at the station include the two bridges: the surviving piers and abutment of Brunel's bridge over the Wye,[3] and the bridge providing access to the steam mill and ironworks site.[4]

Services

View from train in 1962

The local rail service is sporadic, running an hourly service in each direction. A local campaign has been established, with the support of the local MP, Welsh Assembly members, County Council and town council, to improve rail services to the town.[5][6] In May 2011, CrossCountry commenced a year-long trial of stopping its Cardiff-Birmingham-Nottingham services at the station on weekdays and Saturdays. In December 2011, it was reported that the trial would be extended until at least December 2012.[7]

As of May 2016, the service pattern consists of the hourly (with occasional two-hour gaps) Cheltenham Spa - Cardiff Central - Maesteg service (serving all intermediate stations between Gloucester & Newport) plus calls every second hour by the CrossCountry Nottingham - Cardiff Central trains.[8] On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service in each direction (no CrossCountry services).

About

The station is manned & a cafe, offering light refreshments is available.Train times are on an electronic board with information of the train times.

The nearest bus stop is a 5-minute walk away in the Tesco car park, however the service from here is infrequent and consists of just a local service. Chepstow bus station is approx 550 yards (0.5 km) further; from here buses to a wider area may be found. On race days, special buses are normally laid on to convey racegoers to and from Chepstow racecourse; this is a walk of approximately half an hour's duration.

Limited station parking is available, with eleven spaces. There is a car park near the station with more spaces.[9]

Service table

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Caldicot   Arriva Trains Wales
Maesteg / Cardiff Central - Cheltenham Spa
   Lydney
Caldicot   CrossCountry
Cardiff Central - Birmingham New Street / Nottingham
(Mondays to Saturdays only)		   Lydney
Historical railways
Portskewett   Wye Valley Railway
British Railways		   Chepstow East
(Across the River Wye by road)

References

  1. ↑ John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, Penguin Books, 2000, ISBN 0-14-071053-1, p.184
  2. ↑ "Footbridge at Chepstow Station, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 27112.
  3. ↑ "Piers and SW abutment of Brunel's railway bridge over River Wye, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 2736.
  4. ↑ "Railway Bridge by Chepstow Station, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 27113.
  5. ↑ Better Trains 4 Chepstow campaign site Archived September 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Daily Telegraph, Rail passengers face service cuts threat, 3 May 2010
  7. ↑ Clark, Rhodri (December 2011). "Chepstow trial extended". Modern Railways. 68 (759): 9. ISSN 0026-8356.
  8. ↑ GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 57 (Network Rail)
  9. ↑ Station Facilities for Chepstow Retrieved 22 April 2012
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chepstow railway station.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.