Chepstow railway station

Grade II listed railway station in Monmouthshire, Wales

Chepstow

Welsh: Cas-gwent

Chepstow station in June 2022

General information
Location| Chepstow, Monmouthshire
Wales
Coordinates| 51°38′24″N 2°40′16″W﻿ / ﻿51.6399°N 2.6711°W﻿ / 51.6399; -2.6711
Grid reference| ST536936
Managed by| Transport for Wales
Platforms| 2
Other information
Station code| CPW
Classification| DfT category F1
Passengers
2018/19|  0.253 million
2019/20|  0.229 million
2020/21|  35,062
2021/22|  0.147 million
2022/23|  0.179 million

Listed Building – Grade II

Feature| Chepstow Railway Station
Designated| 26 November 1974
Reference no.| 2586[1]
Notes

Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Chepstow railway station is a part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is operated by Transport for Wales. Chepstow station is on the Gloucester to Newport Line, 141 miles 33 chains (227.6 km) from the zero point at Paddington, measured via Stroud.[2] It is 330 yards (300 m) from the town centre, at Station Road. Chepstow is a historic walled border town and ancient port, situated at the southern end of the Wye Valley, two hours from London.

The line continues east from the station to Gloucester over the Chepstow railway bridge. It was formerly the junction station for the Wye Valley Railway to Monmouth Troy station until this line closed to passengers in 1959. The railway now consists of a double track line with a trailing crossover to the east of the station, plus some disused track in the former yard.

## Description[edit]

The cast-iron footbridge (2017)

The single-storey buildings on the Gloucester/Birmingham side of the line are stone and timber-built structures, in an Italianate style. They were completed in 1850 for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's South Wales Railway, and according to architectural historian John Newman were designed by N. Lancaster Owen.[3] A canopy provides shelter. On the more popular Newport/Cardiff side, there is just a small modern shelter.

Access to this platform is via a cast-iron footbridge, making it difficult for passengers with pushchairs and the old and the infirm to cross. The footbridge is a now-rare survival of a typical GWR iron pattern, still with its wooden cladding and canopy, and is Grade II listed.[4] It was cast in Edward Finch's ironworks, adjoining the station. In January 2021, the footbridge was removed for extensive repairs and is due to be reinstalled during the Spring. A temporary footbridge was installed prior to its removal.[5]

Other Grade II listings at the station include the two bridges: the surviving piers and abutment of the Chepstow Railway Bridge,[6] and the bridge providing access to the steam mill and ironworks site.[7]

## Services[edit]

A CrossCountry service from Nottingham to Cardiff

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Gloucester–Newport line

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

Cross Country Route

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  | Gloucester
|  |

|  |

River Severn

|  |

|  |

Ledbury and Gloucester Railway

|  |

|  | Oakle Street
|  |

|  | Grange Court
|  |

|  |

Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Rly

|  |

|  | Westbury-on-Severn Halt
|  |

|  | Newnham
|  |

|  | Ruddle Road Halt
|  |

|  |

Forest of Dean Railway

|  |

|  | Awre for Blakeney
|  |

|  |

Forest of Dean Central Railway

|  |

|  | Gatcombe
|  |

|  | Severn Railway Bridge
|  |

|  | Severn Bridge
|  |

|  |

Sharpness branch line

|  |

|  | Lydney Junction │ Lydney
|  |

|  | Lydney Harbour Branch
|  |

|  |

| Dean Forest Railway

(Severn and Wye Railway)

|  |

|  | Woolaston
|  |

|  |

Wye Valley Railway

|  |

|  | Tutshill for Beachley Halt
|  |

|  | Chepstow East
|  |

|  |

| Chepstow Railway Bridge

over River Wye

| England

Wales

|  |

|  | Chepstow
|  |

|  |

| M48 motorway

across Severn Bridge

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Bristol & South Wales Union Rly

|  |

|  |  | Portskewett (1863–1964)

("Portskewett Junction" 1863–1886)
|  |

|  | Portskewett

(1850–1863)

|  |

|  |

| South Wales Main Line

via Severn Tunnel

|  |

|  |

Sudbrook Tunnel Pumps

|  |

|  |

Caerwent Training Area

|  |

|  | Caldicot
|  |

|  | Severn Tunnel Junction
|  |

|  |

M4 motorway

|  |

|  | Undy Halt
|  |

|  | Magor
|  |

|  | Llanwern steelworks
|  |

|  | Llanwern
|  |

|  |

Uskmouth Power Station

|  |

|  |

Welsh Marches line

|  |

|  | River Usk
|  |

|  |

Monmouthshire Railway

|  |

|  | Newport
|  |

|  |

South Wales Main Line

|  |  |  |  |  |

* v
* t
* e

Wye Valley Railway

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

| Coleford, Monmouth, Usk

& Pontypool Railway

|  |

|  | Monmouth Troy
|  |

|  |

Ross and Monmouth Railway

|  |

|  |

River Trothy and River Wye

|  |

|  | Wyesham Halt
|  |

|  |

Wyesham Junction

|  |

|  |

Coleford Railway

|  |

|  |

| Wales

England

|  |

|  | Redbrook on Wye
|  |

|  |

| Penallt Viaduct

over River Wye
Gloucestershire

Monmouthshire

|  |

|  | Penallt Halt
|  |

|  | Whitebrook Halt
|  |

|  | St Briavels
|  |

|  | Llandogo Halt
|  |

|  | Brockweir Halt
|  |

|  | Tintern
|  |

|  |

River Wye | Monmouthshire

Gloucestershire

|  |

|  |

Tintern tunnel  | 182 yd

166 m

|  |

|  |

Tintern Wireworks Branch

|  |

|  |

Tintern Quarry

|  |

|  |

Tidenham tunnel  | 1190 yd

1088 m

|  |

|  | Netherhope Halt
|  |

|  | Tidenham
|  |

|  |

Gloucester–Newport line

|  |

|  |

Wye Valley Junction

|  |

|  | Tutshill for Beachley Halt
|  |

|  | Chepstow East
|  |

|  |

| Chepstow Railway Bridge

over River Wye
Glos.

Mon.

|  |

|  | Chepstow
|  |

|  |

Gloucester–Newport line

|  |  |  |  |  |

The local rail service is sporadic, running an hourly service in each direction. A local campaign has been established, with the support of the local MP, Welsh Assembly members, County Council and town council, to improve rail services to the town.[8][9] In May 2011, CrossCountry commenced a year-long trial of stopping its Cardiff-Birmingham-Nottingham services at the station on weekdays and Saturdays. In December 2011, it was reported that the trial would be extended until at least December 2012.[10]

As of May 2016, the service pattern consists of the hourly (with occasional two-hour gaps) Cheltenham Spa \- Cardiff Central - Maesteg service (serving all intermediate stations between Gloucester & Newport) plus calls every second hour by the CrossCountry Nottingham - Cardiff Central trains.[11] On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service in each direction (no CrossCountry services).

Preceding station  |  National Rail | Following station

|
|

Caldicot |  | Transport for Wales
Maesteg / Cardiff Central - Cheltenham Spa

|  | Lydney
Caldicot or Newport |  | CrossCountry
Cardiff Central - Birmingham New Street / Nottingham
(Mondays to Saturdays only) |  | Lydney
| Historical railways |
Portskewett |  | Wye Valley Railway
British Railways |  | Chepstow East
(Across the River Wye by road)

## Facilities[edit]

The station is staffed, and a cafe offering light refreshments is available in the main building. The ticket office is run by a third-party operator, Chepstow Trains, on behalf of Network Rail and Transport for Wales, and is open part-time, six days per week (closed from late afternoon and all day Sundays). Outside these times, tickets must be bought on the train. Train running information is offered via digital CIS displays and timetable poster boards.

The nearest bus stop is a 5-minute walk away in the Tesco car park; however the service is infrequent and consists of just a local service. Chepstow bus station is about 550 yards (0.5 km) further; from here buses to a wider area may be found. On race days, special buses are normally laid on to convey racegoers to and from Chepstow Racecourse; this is a walk of approximately half an hour's duration.

Limited station parking is available, with eleven spaces. There is a car park near the station with more spaces.[12]

## See also[edit]

* Chepstow East railway station

## References[edit]

1. ^ Cadw. "Chepstow Railway Station (2586)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
2. ^ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 19B. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
3. ^ John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, Penguin Books, 2000, ISBN 0-14-071053-1, p.184
4. ^ "Footbridge at Chepstow Station, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 27112.
5. ^ "Chepstow station footbridge improvement works". David TC Davies MP. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
6. ^ "Piers and SW abutment of Brunel's railway bridge over River Wye, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 2736.
7. ^ "Railway Bridge by Chepstow Station, Chepstow". British Listed Buildings. 27113.
8. ^ "Home Page | bettertrains4chepstow.co.uk". bettertrains4chepstow.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010.
9. ^ "Rail passengers face service cuts threat". The Daily Telegraph.
10. ^ Clark, Rhodri (December 2011). "Chepstow trial extended". Modern Railways. 68 (759): 9. ISSN 0026-8356.
11. ^ GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 57 (Network Rail)
12. ^ Station Facilities for Chepstow Retrieved 22 April 2012

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Chepstow railway station at Wikimedia Commons

* Train times and station information for Chepstow railway station from National Rail

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Transport in Monmouthshire

Road|

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Bus|

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National Cycle Network|

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