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Wrexham South railway station

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Wrexham South

De Wrecsam
National Rail
Regional (proposed)
General information
Other namesSouth Wrexham
LocationWrexham County Borough
Wales
Line(s)Shrewsbury–Chester line
Key dates
July 2015First proposed

Wrexham South (Welsh: De Wrecsam; also proposed as South Wrexham) is a proposed railway station on the Shrewsbury–Chester line, situated between Chirk and Wrexham, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. As of January 2022, there is no definitive site for the proposed station, with proposals for the station to be located either near Johnstown or at Rhosymedre on the former Rhosymedre Halt railway station. If the latter location is decided, Ruabon would be the station closest to the south of Wrexham.

Wrexham South forms part of Transport for Wales' long-term goals for the North Wales Metro.

History

[edit]
Map of Shrewsbury to Chester line, with two potential sites for Wrexham South marked surrounding Ruabon

A "South Wrexham" station was first proposed in July 2015, in the Welsh Government's National Transport Finance Plan 2015, [1] alongside other proposed stations in Broughton, North Wrexham, Deeside, and Llangefni.

In April 2017, the station was placed on the Welsh Government's May 2017 stage-one assessment of new rail stations in Wales.[2] The station was forecasted in the assessment to have annual passenger numbers of between 89,000 and 113,000 based on both 2011–12 model figures and the growth in passenger numbers between 2011 and 2016.[3][4]

For stage 2 of the assessment, "South Wrexham" was allocated the old Rhosymedre Halt railway station site, located between Ruabon and Chirk railway stations. The assessment stated that benefits for the station were mainly the serving of Cefn Mawr and Rhosymedre. Due to the single track between Rossett and Stansty near Wrexham in the north of the county borough, any additional stations on the line would require further study into their impact on the line's timetable. The station's gradient, curved line location, proximity to Ruabon and Chirk stations, limited space for a footbridge and car parking, were also mentioned for further evaluation of the station, in particular for financing.[5]

In April 2019, the Welsh Government announced that Wrexham South, alongside Wrexham North and Llangefni were to be dropped from the list (Broughton was dropped earlier), and would not proceed further in the assessment. Deeside Parkway was the only station in north Wales to remain on the list.[6]

As rail infrastructure is not devolved in Wales, funding for the construction of a new railway station lies with the UK Government's Department for Transport (DfT) and is delivered by Network Rail. DfT would receive advice from Network Rail on the feasibility of the station.[6]

In 2021, the proposed station re-emerged in Transport for Wales' Metro Development Plan published in March 2021,[7] and the Future Developments plan for the North Wales Metro published in September 2021. The accompanying maps for the latter, used to represent Transport for Wales' long-term ambitions in the region, include a proposed station located south of Wrexham, near Johnstown, termed "Wrexham South". The longer-term plans (in comparison to the 2029 plans released on the same day), do not include a proposed date for the project and are accompanied by other projects, some critics may describe as being too ambitious.[8][9]

Proposed location

[edit]

There is no definitive location for the station as of January 2022. Older proposals advocate for a station near Rhosymedre on the former Rhosymedre Halt railway station site,[5] but newer maps of the proposed location show it to be more northerly towards Wrexham, near Johnstown.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Transport Finance Plan 2015" (PDF). gov.wales. Welsh Government. 1 July 2015. p. 25.
  2. ^ "Two New Railway Stations Planned For Wrexham as Part of Welsh Government Rail Infrastructure Improvements". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  3. ^ "New Rail Stations Prioritisation - Stage 2 Assessment Report, April 2019" (PDF). gov.wales. Welsh Government. April 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  4. ^ "New railway station plans for Wales chosen for scrutiny". BBC News. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b Reardon, Sarah (27 August 2019). "New Stations Assessment" (PDF). gov.wales. Welsh Government. p. 9. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b Hughes, Owen (13 September 2019). "One new North Wales train station could be built - but three others dropped from shortlist". North Wales Live. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  7. ^ "How we're developing Metro - March 2021 (TfW Metro Development Plan 2021)" (PDF). trc.cymru. Transport for Wales. March 2021. p. 6. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b "North Wales Metro: Future developments | Transport for Wales". tfw.wales. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  9. ^ "WATCH: Welsh Government minister tells of benefits North Wales Metro will bring to area". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
Preceding station Future services Following station
Chirk or Ruabon   Transport for Wales
Shrewsbury–Chester line 		  Ruabon or Wrexham General

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