Current operations Shrewsbury–Chester line

1 current operations

1.1 expansion
1.2 passenger services
1.3 freight services
1.4 community rail
1.5 wrexham chester service improvements

current operations
expansion

in december 2005, arriva trains wales introduced new timetable line, providing hourly service between shrewsbury , chester, monday saturday, morning until around midnight (involving 8 additional trains serving gobowen). improved service includes through train every 2 hours between holyhead , cardiff throughout of day. line has seen passenger numbers double during 2003–2004 , increase 30% since 1999.

on 28 april 2008, wrexham & shropshire began providing services along section of line between wrexham general , shrewsbury, continuing via wolverhampton london marylebone. service ceased on 28 january 2011, due in part restrictions imposed on w&s protect commercial interests of virgin trains operations on west coast main line.

passenger services

passenger trains along line operated arriva trains wales , virgin trains, operate 1 train per day on weekdays each way between wrexham general , london euston, via chester.

at chester, there connections towards crewe , holyhead (on north wales coast line), towards manchester piccadilly via warrington bank quay (on chester manchester line), towards manchester piccadilly via northwich (on mid-cheshire line) , towards liverpool lime street (on merseyrail s wirral line).

at wrexham, there connections towards liverpool lime street (change @ bidston) via borderlands line , london via west coast main line. wrexham general acts terminus many services travelling part of line.

at shrewsbury, connections provided towards carmarthen via hereford , cardiff central , manchester via crewe (via welsh marches line), towards aberystwyth , pwllheli (on cambrian line), towards swansea (via heart of wales line) , towards birmingham new street.

freight services

freight along line half transitory , half generated on line. padeswood hall cement works @ penyfford not send of finished product out rail, source coal via railfreight, once week. these trains scotland , run-round in croes newydd loop south of wrexham general station.

db schenker haul 2 trainloads of steel coil per day either llanwern or port talbot steelworks shotton steelworks on deeside. return empties twice daily too.

kronospan s board factory @ chirk has inward flows of timber carlisle, baglan bay, teignbridge , ribblehead. of traffic, ribblehead seasonal , sporadic. inbound flows must enter works heading south , leaving must head south too. because there no cross on or run-round facility in works sidings.

community rail

the line designated community rail partnership.

wrexham chester service improvements

in march 2012 welsh assembly announced sections of line part of £46-million improvement scheme. included redoubling track between wrexham , chester , upgrading sections of line allow trains run @ 90 mph. work started on project in june 2014 , scheduled completion in spring 2015, delayed until april 2017 network rail due need signalling cables replaced in addition track, signal , level crossing upgrades installed.

it hoped create increased traffic between wrexham , chester , encourage new regular services london , other new destinations. example, line carry extended hourly hull manchester piccadilly transpennine express service because reach wrexham via chester. provide direct passenger service manchester, leeds , hull. other suggestions include extending current hourly chester – crewe shuttle service south wrexham , north manchester (via manchester airport).