Telford Central railway station

Telford Central railway station serves the town of Telford, Shropshire, England. It is located on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) north west of Wolverhampton and is operated by West Midlands Trains. It is situated close to the Telford Shopping Centre, the main commercial district of the town.

Telford Central
National Rail
General information
LocationTelford, Telford and Wrekin
England
Grid referenceSJ702093
Managed byWest Midlands Railway
Platforms2
Train operatorsWest Midlands Railway
Transport for Wales
Avanti West Coast
Other information
Station codeTFC
ClassificationDfT category C2
History
Opened12 May 1986[1]
Passengers
2017/18Increase 1.211 million
2018/19Decrease 1.198 million
2019/20Decrease 1.191 million
2020/21Decrease 0.205 million
 Interchange 1,304
2021/22Increase 0.698 million
 Interchange Increase3,859
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

Telford was designated as a new town in the 1960s and, until the 1980s, was served by two stations which predated its foundation: Oakengates and Wellington railway stations. Wellington was at one stage renamed "Wellington-Telford West" to indicate that it was located in the new town. (Until 1985, the line through the designated area also had a 'halt station' called New Hadley Halt, between Oakengates and Wellington.)

The situation changed in May 1986, when Telford Central opened. The new station was equipped with full-length platforms to accommodate inter-city trains. The development included a large car park, which took advantage of its location next to the M54 motorway to provide a park and ride facility. The £700,000[lower-alpha 1] cost was jointly funded by British Rail, the Telford Development Corporation and Shropshire County Council.

The station and car park were built on the former Hollinswood sidings that served the Lilleshall Company and local industry.[2]

Facilities

The station is staffed all week, with the ticket office open Monday - Saturday 06:00 - 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 - 17:00. A ticket machine is provided in the booking hall for use outside these times and for the collection of pre-paid tickets. Until Summer 2020, a coffee kiosk and photo booth were located in the main building on Platform 1 (for Wolverhampton and Birmingham), although these were removed and replaced with a set of vending machines. Toilet facilities are also provided on Platform 1, whilst Platform 2 (Shrewsbury and beyond) has bench seating, a ticket machine and a waiting shelter only. CIS displays, automatic announcements and timetable posters provide train running information on both platforms. Step-free access is available to both platforms (via lifts and ramps accessed via the footbridge or public roads).[3]

Services

As of May 2023, the Monday-Saturday off-peak service comprises two trains per hour in each direction.

    • 1tph off-peak northbound to Shrewsbury
    • 1tph off-peak southbound to Birmingham New Street, calling at all stations between Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

2 WMR services per hour operate at peak times of which one is an evening express service calling at Shifnal, Codsall and Wolverhampton only between Telford and Birmingham New Street.

Sunday services consist of an hourly fast service (Chester or Aberystwyth to Birmingham International) operated by Transport for Wales and an hourly stopping service (Shrewsbury to Birmingham), operated by West Midlands Trains.[6][7][8] Sunday Avanti services depart for Euston at 11:12.

Historical services to London

Although the station was built to accommodate inter-city trains to/from London Euston, British Rail services ceased in the early 1990s and Virgin Trains West Coast withdrew a short-lived, (trial) daily service between Shrewsbury and London in 2000. A new company, Wrexham & Shropshire, reintroduced express services (to London Marylebone) on 28 April 2008; these were withdrawn on 28 January 2011. In December 2014, Virgin Trains re-introduced two daily services to and from London Euston.[9][10]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Shifnal   West Midlands Railway
Birmingham-Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury		   Oakengates or Wellington
  Transport for Wales
Birmingham-Wolverhampton-Chester		  
  Transport for Wales
Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury
Limited service		  
Wolverhampton   Transport for Wales
Cambrian Line		   Wellington
  Transport for Wales
Birmingham - Chester - Holyhead		  
Wolverhampton   Avanti West Coast
London-Shrewsbury		   Wellington

Notes
  1. about £2 million today.

References
  1. Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2009). Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-906008-44-4.
  2. Clarke, Neil (2015). Railways of East Shropshire. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-4456-4022-8.
  3. "Telford Footbridge replacement". 22 August 2019.
  4. "Scheduled timetable book for 11 December 2022 to 20 May 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
  5. "Scheduled timetable book for 21 May 2023 to 9 December 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
  6. "Train timetables and schedules | Telford Central". West Midlands Railway.
  7. "Train Times | 21 May - 9 September 2023 | Birmingham-Shrewsbury-Chester" (PDF). Transport for Wales Rail.
  8. "Cambrian | Train Times | 21 May - 9 September 2023 | Birmingham-Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth-Pwllheli" (PDF). Transport for Wales Rail.
  9. "Blackpool and Shrewsbury direct rail services to London approved". BBC News. 22 September 2014.
  10. Table 66 National Rail timetable, May 2017
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