Newtown railway station (Wales)

Newtown Welsh: Y Drenewydd
General information
Location	Newtown, Powys Wales
Coordinates	52°30′44″N 3°18′43″W
Grid reference	SO111913
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	NWT
Classification	DfT category E
History
Original company	Oswestry and Newtown Railway
Pre-grouping	Cambrian Railways
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Passengers
2019/20	0.152 million
2020/21	22,420
2021/22	87,598
2022/23	0.124 million
2023/24	0.140 million
Listed Building – Grade II
Feature	Railway Station
Designated	9 May 1988
Reference no.	8112
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Newtown railway station (Welsh: Y Drenewydd) is a railway station serving Newtown, Powys, Wales.

History

Newtown was the last major station before Moat Lane Junction where the Mid-Wales Railway, to Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Road and on to Cardiff (with a branch to Brecon), diverged from the Cambrian Railways main line (today's Cambrian Line) to Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.

It was also originally served by the (now mostly defunct) Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (opened in 1859 and initially isolated from the rest of the Welsh railway system) and the Oswestry and Newtown Railway (opened in 1861). All were subsequently subsumed into the Cambrian by 1865.The station was the eastern terminus of the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway opened by the Countess of Londonderry at Machynlleth station on 3 January 1863.

The Mid-Wales line passenger service was withdrawn on 31 December 1962, though trains to and from this route latterly started and terminated at Moat Lane Junction. Services to Oswestry and Whitchurch via the former O&NR Cambrian main line ended in January 1965, when the route east of Buttington closed to passenger traffic as a consequence of the Beeching cuts.

Facilities

Station buildings in November 2023

The station currently has two through platforms, which are used separately for trains in either direction. The station is usually used as one of the passing points for trains on the Cambrian Line as it is a single track. The station has one west facing bay platform/siding which is periodically used as a storage point for Network Rail's departmental trains.

There is a Transport for Wales appointed "Station Agent" with full ticket issuing facilities in the main building. It also has a computer training centre. Train running information is provided by digital CIS displays, automatic announcements and customer help points on both platforms. Step-free access is available on both platforms, but the ramp to access Platform 2 is not suitable for wheelchair or mobility scooter users.

There are plans to install an accessible footbridge with lifts in 2024. Network Rail will undertake this work with funding from the Department for Transport's "Access for All" programme.

Services

Trains run from here westwards to Machynlleth and then either Aberystwyth or Pwllheli via Barmouth (most trains convey a portion for both routes) and eastwards to Shrewsbury and Birmingham International. There is a basic two-hourly service each way – on weekdays and Saturdays there are also some additional Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth services during the mornings and evenings. On Sundays there is a two-hourly service on the Shrewsbury – Aberystwyth axis, but only a limited service along the coast to/from Pwllheli (three in summer and one in winter).

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Caersws		Transport for Wales Cambrian Line		Welshpool
	Historical railways
Scafell Halt Line open, station closed		Cambrian Railways Llanidloes and Newtown Railway Oswestry and Newtown Railway		Abermule Line open, station closed

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Brecon to Newtown. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 116–120. ISBN 9781906008062. OCLC 288983659.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2008). Shrewsbury to Newtown. West Sussex: Middleton Press. pp. 113–120. ISBN 9781906008291. OCLC 228374968.

External links

• YouTube video with narration of the station

Media related to Newtown (Powys) railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Newtown railway station (Wales) from National Rail