Newport railway station (Shropshire)

In 1847 the London and North Western Railway leased the line between Stafford and Wellington from the Shropshire Union Canal and Railway Company, however the line was not finished until 1849. Newport was an important station along the stretch between Wellington and Stafford as it had a large cattle market and was one of the largest towns in the area.

In 1922 the line was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, with the passenger service withdrawn in 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe[1] and the line closed completely in 1967. The track was lifted soon afterwards.

It has been reported by the Shropshire Star that Winston Churchill spent a night in the sidings at Newport in 1942

Due to Newport's proximity to the new town of Telford and the cities of Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, Newport is seen as a potential commuter town, but the absence of a station is a loss to the town.[2] However, ever since the reinstatement of the line as far as Telford International Freight Park at Donnington, the reopening of Newport's station is seen "definitely be feasible",[3] this would mean that freight that is currently routed through Wolverhampton to reach Scotland and the north, could benefit from a line through Newport to the West Coast Main Line at Stafford, thereby freeing up capacity from Telford to the West Midlands conurbation.

The line is in the top 36 'Lines that should reopen' listing published by the Campaign for Better Transport.[4]

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2014). Stafford to Wellington. Middleton Press. figs. 27-33. ISBN 9781908174598. OCLC 913791564.