View source for Shrewsbury–Chester line

{{Short description|Railway line in England and Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Shrewsbury–Chester line
|image       = Wrecsam Cyffredinol - TfW 197017+197015 trên i Caergybi.JPG
|caption     = [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales']] 197015 & 017 at Wrexham General with a service from Cardiff to Holyhead. 
| image_width                     = 280px
| native_name                     = 
| native_name_lang                = cy
| type                            = Heavy Rail
| system                          = [[National Rail]]<br />([[Wales & Borders franchise]])
| locale                          = Regions: [[North West England]], [[North East Wales]], and [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]<br /><br />Local authorities: [[Cheshire West and Chester]], [[Wrexham County Borough]] and [[Shropshire (district)|Shropshire]]
| start                           = [[Shrewsbury railway station|Shrewsbury]]
| end                             = [[Chester railway station|Chester]]<ref name=":Route Spec">{{Cite web|date=March 2017|title=Delivering a better railway for a better Britain — Route Specifications 2017 Wales|url=https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Wales-Route-Specification-2017.pdf|website=networkrail.co.uk|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|page=21}}</ref>
| stations                        = [[Gobowen railway station|Gobowen]], [[Chirk railway station|Chirk]], [[Ruabon railway station|Ruabon]] and [[Wrexham General railway station|Wrexham General]]
| open                            = 1846
| owner                           = [[Network Rail]]
| operator                        = [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]], [[Avanti West Coast]]
| character                       = Main line, Commuter Rail, Freight
| stock                           = [[British Rail Class 67|Class 67 locomotive + Mark 4 carriages]], [[British Rail Class 150|Class 150 Sprinter]], [[British Rail Class 153|Class 153 Super Sprinter]], [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158 Express Sprinter]], [[British Rail Class 197|Class 197 Civity]], [[British Rail Class 805|Class 805 Evero]]
| linelength                      = {{convert|84.38|mi|km}}
| tracks                          = Mostly [[double track]] between [[Saltney Junction]] and [[Abbey Foregate railway station|Abbey Foregate Junction]], with a [[single-track railway|single track]] between [[Rossett railway station|Rossett Junction]] and [[Wrexham General]].
| gauge                           = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}
| old_gauge                       = 
| speed                           = {{convert|50|mph|abbr=on}},<br /> {{convert|70|mph|abbr=on}},<br /> {{convert|90|mph|abbr=on|disp=or}}.
| map_state                       = open
| map                             = [[File:Shrewsbury to Chester line Map.png|340px|Map of the Shrewsbury–Chester line]]
}}
{{Shrewsbury to Chester Line RDT}}
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 {{rws|Chester}}, in the north, and {{rws|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 and Company|Beyer Peacock]],<ref>[[Richard L. Hills|Hills, R. L.]]; Patrick, D. (1982). Beyer, Peacock, locomotive builders to the world. Glossop: Transport Publishing Co. {{ISBN|0-903839-41-5}}.</ref> while the contractor was [[Thomas Brassey]] in partnership with William Mackenzie and [[Robert Stephenson]]{{dubious|date=April 2019}}.<ref>Helps, Arthur ''The Life and Works of Mr Brassey'', 1872 republished Nonsuch, 2006.  p. 107 {{ISBN|1-84588-011-0}}</ref> The line is part of [[Transport for Wales]]' [[North Wales Metro]] improvement programme.

The line has six stations, equally distributed between England and Wales. There are proposals to open stations on the line in [[Baschurch]] (by re-opening [[Baschurch railway station]])<ref name=":0" /> and in the [[Wrexham North railway station|north]] and [[Wrexham South railway station|south]] of [[Wrexham]].<ref name=":2" />

The line was formerly [[Double-track railway|double-track]] for its entire length, however, {{Convert|9.5|mi|km|abbr=out}} of the line between [[Wrexham General railway station|Wrexham]] and [[Saltney Junction]] was reduced to a [[Single-track railway|single-track]] in the 1980s.<ref name=":Route Spec" /> This was partly reversed in 2017, with the re-doubling of {{Convert|5|mi|km|abbr=out}} of the single-track section between Saltney Junction to [[Rossett railway station|Rossett Junction]] into double-track.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Kelly|date=2017-04-05|title=Chester to Wrexham train line upgrade work finally complete|url=http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chester-wrexham-train-line-upgrade-12848053|access-date=2022-02-16|website=CheshireLive|language=en}}</ref> The infrastructural work was carried out by [[Network Rail]] and funded by the [[Welsh Government]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Final phase of major Wrexham to Chester rail enhancement project to begin|url=https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/final-phase-of-major-wrexham-to-chester-rail-enhancement-project-to-begin|access-date=2022-02-16|website=Network Rail Media Centre|language=english}}</ref> The re-doubling was completed in April 2017, with the project described to be an effort to increase services between Wrexham and Chester<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.networkrail.co.uk/North-South-Wales-journey-improvements/ |title=North/South Wales journey improvements |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=Network Rail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106002627/https://www.networkrail.co.uk/North-South-Wales-journey-improvements/ |archive-date=2017-01-06}}</ref> and improving certain sections of line to allow trains to run at 90 mph.<ref>[http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/165443/work-on-delayed-rail-upgrade-between-wrexham-and-chester-to-resume-in-march-2017.aspx "Work on delayed rail upgrade between Wrexham and Chester to resume in March 2017"] ''The Leader''; Retrieved 13 January 2017</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/wrexham-chester-railway-line-upgrade-12844400 |title=Wrexham to Chester railway line upgrade finally complete after major delays |newspaper=[[North Wales Daily Post]] |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=14 April 2017 }}</ref> The remaining {{Convert|4|mi|km|abbr=out}} of track between [[Rossett railway station|Rossett Junction]] and just north of {{rws|Wrexham General}} remains single-track. The line used to extend to Chester directly, however the section of track between Saltney Junction and Chester railway station was reduced from two double-tracks, sharing with the [[North Wales Coast Line]], to a single double-track now considered only part of the North Wales Coast Line by Network Rail.<ref name=":Route Spec" />

== History ==
[[File:67029 Royal Diamond crosses Chirk viaduct with the 17.21 ex-Cardiff WAG train, Telford's Aquaduct in background (34741805591).jpg|thumb|Train on the [[Chirk Viaduct]], with the [[Chirk Aqueduct]] in the background, near [[Chirk]], [[Wrexham County Borough|Wrexham]] on the [[Wales–England border]].]]
===Construction===
The [[North Wales Mineral Railway]], connecting [[Chester]] via [[Wrexham]] to [[Ruabon]], had been constructed from 1844 to take advantage of mineral rights. However, realising that it offered connection opportunities between the [[Port of Liverpool]] and the industrialised Midlands, the railway applied to extend to Shrewsbury. This was refused by Parliament.

Forming an independent group of similar investors, a local [[act of Parliament (UK)|act of Parliament]], the [[Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway Act 1845]] ([[8 & 9 Vict.]] c. xlii), authorising the construction of the [[Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway]] passed in 1845. Initially the proposal was to build a completely new line from a junction south east of {{rws|Chester}}, it would cross the River Dee near [[Farndon, Cheshire|Farndon]] completely by-passing the North Wales Mineral Railway between Wrexham and Chester. The route would then go through [[Overton-on-Dee]] across the Dee again near Chirk before reaching Oswestry and then heading to Shrewsbury. However, in July 1846, the North Wales Mineral Railway merged with the Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway to form the [[Shrewsbury and Chester Railway]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Paddington to the Mersey|first1=R. Preston|last1=Hendry|first2=R. Powell|last2=Hendry|page=8|publisher=Oxford Publishing Company|year=1992|isbn=9780860934424|oclc=877729237}}</ref>

The formation of the new company immediately led to a revision of the plans. Construction of a new line and junction south east from Chester was abandoned. The new company would only need to build a {{convert|30|mi|abbr=on}} line between Shrewsbury and the North Wales Mineral line at Wrexham. Likewise when construction was completed by 1848, the final route also bypassed [[Oswestry]] (one of the scheme's original destinations). Instead the town would be served by a branch line between a halt in the town and {{rws|Gobowen}}.

On 24 May 1847, five passengers were killed and many were injured in the [[Dee Bridge disaster]]. A [[Chester]] to [[Ruabon]] train fell {{convert|11|m|abbr=on}} into the [[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]], following the collapse of the Dee Railway bridge on the outskirts of Chester. A girder, which had cracked in the middle, gave way as the train crossed. The engine and tender managed to reach the other side of the bridge but the carriages crashed into the river.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain|volume=11: North and Mid Wales|first=Peter E.|last=Baughan|publisher=David & Charles|year=1980|isbn=0-7153-7850-3|oclc=906364902}}</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2017}} The bridge was engineered by [[Robert Stephenson]] despite warnings from civil engineer, [[William Fairbairn]]. He had warned Stephenson about the problems using cast iron girders only a few months before construction of the bridge at a meeting at the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] in London, but his advice was ignored. A [[Royal Commission]] following this accident led to a re-evaluation of the use of cast-iron in railway bridges. Many new bridges had to be reinforced or rebuilt.

===Mergers and nationalisation===
In 1849 the larger [[London and North Western Railway]] began aggressively trying to take business from the line in order to put it into bankruptcy. By 1854, the pressure forced the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway to agree to becoming part of the [[Great Western Railway]]. The route would become part of the GWR's main line from [[Paddington railway station|London Paddington]] to [[Birkenhead Woodside railway station|Birkenhead Woodside]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shrewsburyrht.org.uk/history/|title=Time-line of the Early Railways in and around Shropshire|publisher=ShrewsburyRHT.org.uk|access-date=10 February 2012}}</ref>

In 1948, following [[nationalization|nationalisation]] of UK's rail system, the former GWR Shrewsbury–Chester line became part of the [[Western Region of British Railways|Western Region]] of [[British Rail]]. It was later transferred to BR's [[London Midland Region of British Railways|London Midland Region]] in 1963.

In the 1960s many of the passenger stations serving smaller communities along the line were closed. The track between Wrexham and Saltney Junction was also reduced from a double to a single line in 1983. There was a large reduction in freight traffic on the route as a result of the mineral industries around Wrexham closing in stages beginning with the [[Wrexham and Minera Railway]] in 1952 and then the [[Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway]] in 1954 and the last section through [[Croes Newydd]] closed in 1982.

==Services==

===Passenger===
Passenger trains along the line are mainly operated by [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]]. [[Avanti West Coast]] operate one train per day on weekdays each way between Wrexham General and London Euston, via Chester.

At Chester, there are connections towards {{stnlnk|Crewe}} and {{stnlnk|Holyhead}} (on the [[North Wales Coast Line]]), towards [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester Piccadilly]] via {{stnlnk|Warrington Bank Quay}} (on the [[Chester to Manchester Line]]), towards Manchester Piccadilly via {{stnlnk|Northwich}} (on the [[Mid-Cheshire Line]]) and towards {{stnlnk|Liverpool Lime Street}} (on [[Merseyrail]]'s [[Wirral line]]).

At Wrexham, there are connections towards [[Liverpool Central railway station|Liverpool Central]] (change at [[Bidston]]) via the [[Borderlands line]]) and London via Chester and [[Crewe railway station|Crewe]] for the [[West Coast Main Line]]. Wrexham General also acts as a terminus for many services travelling part of the line.

At Shrewsbury, connections are provided towards {{stnlnk|Carmarthen}} via {{stnlnk|Hereford}} and {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} and Manchester via Crewe (via the [[Welsh Marches line]]), towards {{stnlnk|Aberystwyth}} and {{stnlnk|Pwllheli}} (on the [[Cambrian line]]), towards {{stnlnk|Swansea}} (via the [[Heart of Wales line]]) and towards Birmingham New Street.

==== Former ====
In December 2005, Arriva Trains Wales introduced a new timetable to the line, providing an hourly service between Shrewsbury and Chester, Monday to Saturday, from early morning until around midnight (involving eight additional trains serving Gobowen). This improved service includes a through train every two hours between Holyhead and Cardiff throughout most of the day.{{Update inline|date=February 2022}}

On 28 April 2008, [[Wrexham & Shropshire]] began services along the section of line between Wrexham General and {{stnlnk|Shrewsbury}}, continuing via {{stnlnk|Wolverhampton}} to {{stnlnk|London Marylebone}}. The service ceased on 28 January 2011, as the operator struggled to gain enough passengers to sustain its service.<ref>
{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12284468 |title=Wrexham-Shropshire-London direct rail link to end |work=[[BBC News]] |date=2011-01-26 |access-date=2019-06-01 |df=dmy-all |quote=In a statement, the firm said that despite having attempted to increase passenger numbers, it had determined that the business has no prospect of reaching profitability and providing a return on investment.}}</ref>

In January 2020, pre-[[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID]], the [[Office of the Rail Regulator]] revealed stations such as Chester, Wrexham General, Ruabon and Chirk saw their passenger numbers increase between 5.6% (Chirk) and 8% (Chester) during the 2018/2019 period.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rise in train passengers using Chester-Wrexham-Shrewsbury line|url=https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/18190272.rise-train-passengers-using-chester-wrexham-shrewsbury-line/|access-date=2022-02-16|website=Chester and District Standard|date=27 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

===Freight===
Freight along the line is half transitory and half generated on the line. Padeswood Hall Cement works at [[Penyffordd]] does not send any of its finished product out by rail, but it does source its coal via Railfreight, mostly just once a week. Most often these trains are from Scotland and they run-round in [[Croes Newydd|Croes Newydd Loop]] south of Wrexham General station.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

DB Schenker haul two trainloads of Steel Coil per day from either [[Llanwern steelworks|Llanwern]] or [[Port Talbot Steelworks]] to [[Shotton, Flintshire|Shotton steelworks]] on Deeside. The return empties are twice daily too.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

[[Kronospan]]'s board factory at [[Chirk]] has inward flows of timber from Carlisle, Baglan Bay, Teignbridge and Ribblehead. Some of the traffic, especially from Ribblehead is seasonal and sporadic. All inbound flows must enter the works heading south and those leaving must head south too. This is because there is no cross over or run-round facility in the works sidings.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Railway Track Diagrams|last = Bridge|first = Mike|publisher = Trackmaps|year = 2013|isbn = 978-0-9549866-7-4|location = Bradford On Avon|pages = 22C}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Freightmaster 79|last = Rawlinson|first = Mark|publisher = Freightmaster Publishing|year = 2015|location = Swindon|pages = 75, 80}}</ref>

===Community rail===
The line is designated as a [[community rail]] partnership, as the Chester Shrewsbury Community Rail Partnership. It was awarded the status in November 2019 by the Welsh Government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorp.uk.com/Assets/ACoRP%20summary%20map%20v4.pdf|title=ACORP Summary map|publisher=Association of Community Rail Partnerships|date=28 July 2014|access-date=28 October 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118174638/http://www.acorp.uk.com/Assets/ACoRP%20summary%20map%20v4.pdf|archive-date=18 November 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Meet Our Community Rail Members|url=https://communityrail.org.uk/community-rail/meet-our-members/|access-date=2022-02-16|website=Community Rail Network|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Community rail partnerships and accreditation status|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-rail-partnerships-authorities-and-accreditation-status|access-date=2022-02-16|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref>

===Wrexham to Chester service improvements===
[[File:Shrewsbury to Chester Line at Rhosrobin, Wrexham (1).JPG|thumb|The line as a single-track near [[Rhosrobin]], [[Wrexham County Borough]], [[Wales]], slightly north of [[Wrexham General railway station|Wrexham General]]. It remains single-track {{As of|2022|February|lc=y}}.]]
In March 2012, the [[National Assembly for Wales]] announced that sections of the line would be part of a £46-million improvement scheme. This included redoubling the track between Wrexham and Chester ([[Rossett railway station|Rossett Junction]] and [[Saltney Junction]])<ref name=":1" /> and upgrading certain sections of line to allow trains to run at 90 mph. Work started on this project in June 2014 and was scheduled for completion in Spring 2015,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/work-begins-44m-wrexham-chester-7296296|title=Work begins on £44m Wrexham to Chester railway upgrade}}</ref> but it was delayed until April 2017 by Network Rail due to the need for signalling cables to be replaced in addition to the track, signal and level crossing upgrades already installed.<ref>[http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/165443/work-on-delayed-rail-upgrade-between-wrexham-and-chester-to-resume-in-march-2017.aspx "Work on delayed rail upgrade between Wrexham and Chester to resume in March 2017"] ''The Leader''; Retrieved 13 January 2017</ref><ref>
{{ cite news |url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/wrexham-chester-railway-line-upgrade-12844400 |title=Wrexham to Chester railway line upgrade finally complete after major delays |newspaper=[[North Wales Daily Post]] |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=14 April 2017 }}</ref> It is hoped this will create increased traffic between Wrexham and Chester and encourage new regular services to London and other new destinations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/03/20/46m-rail-improvement-scheme-for-wrexham-lines-55578-30575951/|newspaper=[[North Wales Daily Post]]|title=£46 million worth of improvements for Wrexham railway|date=20 March 2012}}</ref>

In May 2019, two daily services between Wrexham General and Liverpool Lime Street via Chester and [[Runcorn railway station|Runcorn]] were introduced by Transport for Wales, following the reinstatement of services on the [[Halton Curve]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/media-centre/press-releases/2019/469775378-2019-03-08.html|title=Rail industry confirms new summer 2019 timetable|date=7 March 2019|access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Halton Curve: Rail line links north Wales and Liverpool |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48311912 |publisher=BBC News |date=20 May 2019}}</ref>

==Future developments==
The Chester to Shrewsbury Rail Partnership aims to promote travel along the line and to seek improvements to services and facilities. It is a member of the [[Community Rail Network]].<ref name=":3" /> In 2006, the Chester to Shrewsbury Rail Partnership commissioned the Scott Wilson Report to assess the feasibility of certain enhancements to the service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chester2shrewsburyrail.co.uk/index.html|title=Untitled Document}}</ref> These include the re-opening of stations at [[Rossett railway station|Rossett]] and [[Johnstown and Hafod railway station|Johnstown & Hafod]] and the opening of a new station at [[Lache]].

In 2021, Transport for Wales released their Metro Development Plan published in March 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 2021|title=How we're developing Metro - March 2021 (TfW Metro Development Plan 2021)|url=https://trc.cymru/sites/default/files/inline-files/TfW%20Metro%20Development%202021_2.pdf|access-date=16 February 2022|website=trc.cymru|publisher=[[Transport for Wales]]|page=6}}</ref> and their Future Developments plan for the North Wales Metro published in September 2021.<ref name=":2" /> The accompanying maps for the latter (as well as mentions in the former), were used to represent Transport for Wales' long-term ambitions in the area, which includes two new proposed stations on the Welsh sections of the line. A proposed station located somewhat north of Wrexham, near [[Gresford]], termed "[[Wrexham North]]", and another station located south of Wrexham near [[Johnstown, Wrexham|Johnstown]], termed "[[Wrexham South]]". These longer-term plans (in comparison to the 2029 plans released on the same day), do not include a proposed dates for the proposed stations, furthermore funding for the stations are the responsibility of the [[UK Government]]'s [[Department for Transport]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=North Wales Metro: Future developments {{!}} Transport for Wales|url=https://tfw.wales/projects/metro/future-developments/north-wales|access-date=2022-02-16|website=tfw.wales|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=WATCH: Welsh Government minister tells of benefits North Wales Metro will bring to area|url=https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/19585805.watch-welsh-government-minister-tells-benefits-north-wales-metro-will-bring-area/|access-date=2022-02-16|website=North Wales Chronicle|date=16 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In November 2021, a housing development in Baschurch set land aside for a potential railway station on site, although funding for a station has not yet been secured.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2021-11-11|title=Hopes for new Baschurch railway station|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-59247749|access-date=2022-02-16}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Cheshire}}
* [https://archive.today/20121228064713/http://toolserver.org/~para/cgi-bin/kmlexport?article=Shrewsbury_to_Chester_Line&linksfrom=1&redir=google Map of places on 'Shrewsbury to Chester Line' compiled from this article]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Railway lines in North West England}}
{{Railway lines in the West Midlands}}
{{Railway lines in Wales}}
{{Historical Welsh railway companies}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.chester2shrewsburyrail.co.uk/ Chester to Shrewsbury Rail Partnership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021102329/http://www.chester2shrewsburyrail.co.uk/ |date=21 October 2009 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrewsbury-Chester line}}
[[Category:Rail transport in Shropshire]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Railway lines in Wales]]
[[Category:Railway lines in the West Midlands (region)]]
[[Category:Transport in Wrexham County Borough]]
[[Category:Shrewsbury and Atcham]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1846]]
[[Category:Railway lines in North West England]]
[[Category:Standard gauge railways in Wales]]
[[Category:Standard gauge railways in England]]
[[Category:Community railway lines in Wales]]
[[Category:Community railway lines in England]]
[[Category:1846 establishments in the United Kingdom]]