Welshpool: “worst station on the Welsh network”

Welshpool has the “worst station on the Welsh rail network” according to a Group that has just completed a report that has been submitted to Transport for Wales (TfW).

The much maligned station has received little investment in decades, and with the introduction of a more regular service attracting record usage prior to the pandemic, the Shrewsbury Aberystwyth Rail Liaison Committee is calling for major change. 

The Committee has completed a review of the Cambrian Line with a full station audit, dementia plan and suggested improvements to Welshpool Station, and their conclusion makes grim reading but brings hope that it will finally shake rail bosses into action.

“The case for a new station with much improved facilities is clear,” a spokesperson for the group told us. “The survey shows the views of passengers and residents and the 2016 report for Welsh Government shows the increases in passenger use on the line."

Access and parking are two of the big reasons why the station has become inadequate while it is also described as “neither disabled nor dementia friendly”.

The report describes the station’s environment as “very poor” while “those travelling to work by train in wet or cold weather find the station unfit for purpose”.

The station is the second busiest on the line after Aberystwyth but lacks protection from the elements with limited bus connections. The local town service often misses arrival times, the report claims. 

The group believes that an improved station will boost the local economy by encouraging inward investment while the introduction of the hourly service in December 2022 will “attract even more rail users to a station not fit for purpose”.

“The station is the worst on the Wales network taking into account the number of passengers who use the facility,” said the spokesperson. “Sugar Loaf Station on the Heart of Wales Line has as many facilities as Welshpool for just a handful of passengers. Major station improvements are well overdue.”

The Committee has forwarded four options but their preferred solution is to re-align the track layout so there is a single platform with trains similar to that at Dovey Junction. They have also called for the creation of a new building on the south side of the station giving level access to the platforms. 

We’ve contacted TfW for a response to the report and will share their thoughts once received.