Welsh Marches Line
| Welsh Marches line | |
|---|---|
An Arriva Trains Wales Class 175 approaching Craven Arms
|
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy Rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Locale |
West Midlands (region) Torfaen Monmouthshire North West England |
| Termini | Newport Crewe/Chester |
| Stations | 17 (Newport to Crewe) 15 (Newport to Chester) |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 84.38 miles (135.80 km) |
| Number of tracks | Double track throughout |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Operating speed | 60-90mph |
West Midlands (region)
Wales
Herefordshire
Shropshire
Cheshire
The Welsh Marches line (in Welsh: Llinell y Mers), known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms and thence (by some definitions) to Crewe via Whitchurch. The line thus links South Wales to north-west England via the Welsh Marches region, bypassing Birmingham. Through services from South West Wales, Swansea and Cardiff to Manchester (hourly in each direction) and from Cardiff to Wrexham, Chester, the North Wales Coast and Anglesey (every two hours in each direction) constitute the bulk of passenger operations on the route.
The line that exists today is the amalgamation of two lines, both with influence from the LNWR. The southern section from Newport to Hereford is formed from the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, while the northern section from Hereford to Shrewsbury is formed from the joint GWR/LNWR Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway. From Shrewsbury north to Crewe, the line runs over the LNWR-owned Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway.
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Wikipedia