Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line
Encyclopedia
The Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line is the railway line from Wolverhampton
to Shrewsbury
via Wellington; it was originally built by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
. The line is double track throughout, with rarely used relief sidings at Cosford and 4 tracks through Wellington station. The electrification from Stafford Road Junction to Oxley
, is provided solely to enable electric stock to access Oxley depot and is therefore constructed as a "tram wire" suitable for low speeds only.
Signalling is centred at Madeley Junction
. Towards Wolverhampton, the West Midlands Signalling Centre, Oxley Workstation, takes over (previously Oxley signal box until it closed on Saturday 27 November 2010 under the West Midlands Resignalling scheme) and towards Shrewsbury, Abbey Foregate signal box.
and London Midland
operate passenger trains on this line. Westbound, some trains go beyond Shrewsbury to Chester
, Holyhead
, Aberystwyth
and Wrexham
while eastbound, services continue beyond Wolverhampton to terminate at Birmingham New Street or Birmingham International
.
in recent times have be known to have:
There are no London Midland
services in operation on this line on Sundays.
line, which serves Ironbridge Power Station
to the south of Telford
near Ironbridge
, joins the Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury Line at Madeley Junction, which is between the Telford Central and Shifnal stations. Coal trains (EWS
and Fastline
) use the route, supplying the power station.
In 2008 the former Wellington to Stafford line was rebuilt as far as Donnington, for freight use. Telford International Railfreight Park
is located at a 48 acre (0.19424928 km²) site just off the Hortonwood Roundabout near Donnington opened in 2009. The reopened line is single track and the junction with the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line is at Wellington Donnington Junction, about a quarter mile east of Wellington station.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
via Wellington; it was originally built by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened on 12 November 1849. It merged with the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1854.The company formed originally as the Shrewsbury & Wolverhampton, Dudley & Birmingham Railway in 1844, it became Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway in 1847.When the section...
. The line is double track throughout, with rarely used relief sidings at Cosford and 4 tracks through Wellington station. The electrification from Stafford Road Junction to Oxley
Oxley, Wolverhampton
Oxley is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. Its area code is WV10. It is situated in the north of the city, bordering South Staffordshire and the Bushbury North, Bushbury South and Low Hill, St Peter's and Tettenhall Regis wards...
, is provided solely to enable electric stock to access Oxley depot and is therefore constructed as a "tram wire" suitable for low speeds only.
Signalling is centred at Madeley Junction
Madeley Junction
Madeley Junction is a railway junction situated between Shifnal and Telford Central on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line in Shropshire, England....
. Towards Wolverhampton, the West Midlands Signalling Centre, Oxley Workstation, takes over (previously Oxley signal box until it closed on Saturday 27 November 2010 under the West Midlands Resignalling scheme) and towards Shrewsbury, Abbey Foregate signal box.
Route
The towns and villages served by the route are listed below, East to West.- WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
(City of Wolverhampton) - 6 platforms - Bilbrook (Staffordshire) - 2 platforms
- CodsallCodsallCodsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated north west of the city of Wolverhampton.-History:...
(StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
) - 2 platforms - AlbrightonAlbrighton, BridgnorthAlbrighton is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located to the northwest of Wolverhampton and is best described as a dormitory village for the city...
(ShropshireShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
) - 2 platforms - CosfordCosford, ShropshireCosford is a village in Shropshire, England. It lies between the town of Shifnal and the large village of Albrighton, in the parish of Donington...
(Shropshire) - 2 platforms - ShifnalShifnalShifnal is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It forms part of The Wrekin constituency, and is about east of Telford. It has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line and is near to the M54 motorway.-Early medieval time:...
(Shropshire) - 2 platforms - Telford CentralTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
(Telford and WrekinTelford and WrekinTelford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
) - 2 platforms - OakengatesOakengatesOakengates is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, and now forms part of the new town of Telford...
(Telford and Wrekin) - 2 platforms - WellingtonWellington, ShropshireWellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
(Telford and Wrekin) - 3 platforms - ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
(Shropshire) - 5 platforms (numbered 3 to 7)
Passenger services
Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
and London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
operate passenger trains on this line. Westbound, some trains go beyond Shrewsbury to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
while eastbound, services continue beyond Wolverhampton to terminate at Birmingham New Street or Birmingham International
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
.
Sundays
Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
in recent times have be known to have:
- 14tpd (trains per day) to Birmingham InternationalBirmingham InternationalBirmingham International may refer to:* Birmingham International railway station, Birmingham, England* Birmingham International Airport , serving Birmingham, England* Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, serving Birmingham, Alabama...
via Birmingham New Street.
- 6tpd to WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
.
There are no London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
services in operation on this line on Sundays.
Freight
The CoalbrookdaleCoalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
line, which serves Ironbridge Power Station
Ironbridge Power Station
The Ironbridge power stations refers to a series of two coal-fired power stations which have occupied a site on the banks of the River Severn at Buildwas in Shropshire, England. The current Ironbridge B power station is operated by E.ON UK...
to the south of Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
near Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
, joins the Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury Line at Madeley Junction, which is between the Telford Central and Shifnal stations. Coal trains (EWS
EWS
DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...
and Fastline
Fastline
Fastline was a railway freight operator. It was part of Jarvis plc. It ceased trading when Jarvis plc entered administration and subsequently ceased trading in late March 2010. The company is in administration with N.G. Edwards, N.B. Kahn, P.S. Bowers and I. Brown of Deloitte LLP.They operated a...
) use the route, supplying the power station.
In 2008 the former Wellington to Stafford line was rebuilt as far as Donnington, for freight use. Telford International Railfreight Park
Telford International Railfreight Park
Telford International Railfreight Park is rail freight depot and construction development site located in Donnington to the north of Telford, on the former route of the Stafford to Shrewsbury Line....
is located at a 48 acre (0.19424928 km²) site just off the Hortonwood Roundabout near Donnington opened in 2009. The reopened line is single track and the junction with the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line is at Wellington Donnington Junction, about a quarter mile east of Wellington station.