Newport railway station

Newport railway station (Welsh: Gorsaf Rheilffordd Casnewydd) is the third-busiest railway station in Wales (after Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street), situated in Newport city centre. It is 133.5 miles (215 km) from London Paddington on the British railway network.

Newport
Welsh: Casnewydd
Newport railway station looking Eastbound.
Location
PlaceNewport
Local authorityNewport
Coordinates51.5888°N 3.0004°W / 51.5888; -3.0004
Grid referenceST 307 882
Operations
Station codeNWP
Managed byTransport for Wales
Number of platforms4
DfT categoryB
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 2.389 million
– Interchange  0.567 million
2015/16 2.561 million
– Interchange  0.590 million
2016/17 2.641 million
– Interchange  0.557 million
2017/18 2.697 million
– Interchange  0.580 million
2018/19 2.745 million
– Interchange  0.560 million
History
18 June 1850Opened
1880Enlarged
1928Enlarged
2010Enlarged
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Newport from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station was originally opened in 1850 by the South Wales Railway Company and was greatly expanded in 1928. A new station building was built in 2010 with four full size platforms, to facilitate new Great Western Railway 10-car Intercity Express Programme trains.

The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by Transport for Wales.[1] The main station entrance is located on Queensway, connected by Station Approach to the High Street, with a further entrance adjoined to the National Car Parks site at its rear, reached from Devon Place.

Services
Sign displayed in Newport station, commemorating the opening of the new building. This is mounted inside the ticket office.

As at February 2019, the station is a calling point for GWR (who provide most of the services), as well as Transport for Wales and CrossCountry.

Transport for Wales
175005 departs with an Arriva Trains Wales service along the Welsh Marches Line.

In October 2008 the Welsh Government announced the launch of a new faster services between Cardiff and North Wales. The service was first operated by Class 57 locomotives and Mark 2 passenger rolling stock. The Premier Service has premier business-class accommodation.[4] In March 2012 the service was upgraded to Class 67 locomotives and Mark 3 rolling stock.

CrossCountry
170104 at Newport with a CrossCountry service to Cardiff Central from Nottingham.

Great Western Railway
43187 tails a First Great Western service along the South Wales Main Line to London Paddington
158957 arrives at Newport with a First Great Western service to Portsmouth Harbour with the two different styles of GWR logo on the benches

Ebbw Vale services

Phase Two of the Ebbw Valley Railway project would see the restoration of direct trains between Newport and Ebbw Vale and resurrect the suburban rail link with Rogerstone. In March 2008 following the success of phase one - direct services between Cardiff Central and Ebbw Vale - the Welsh Government's Minister for Economy and Transport launched a feasibility study into the restoration of direct trains from Newport. Significant works need to be carried out including the re-instatement of a set of points, refurbished track, new signals at the Gaer and Park junctions as well as track extensions between Crosskeys and Llanhilleth. The Welsh Government announced in July 2009 that the relevant works to enable direct trains between Ebbw Vale and Newport would be complete by 2011.[9]

After securing the Wales & Borders franchise in 2018, Transport for Wales announced that services will reopen between Newport and Ebbw Vale by 2021.[10]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Cardiff Central   Transport for Wales
Maesteg / Cardiff Central - Cheltenham Spa
   Severn Tunnel Junction
  Transport for Wales
Milford Haven/Carmarthen - Manchester Piccadilly		   Cwmbran
  Transport for Wales
Cardiff - Holyhead		  
Cardiff Central   CrossCountry
Cardiff Central - Nottingham		   Severn Tunnel Junction
or
Chepstow
  CrossCountry
Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly via Bristol Temple Meads
(Mondays to Saturdays only, limited service)		   Severn Tunnel Junction
Cardiff Central   Great Western Railway
Cardiff Central / Swansea - London Paddington		   Bristol Parkway
  Great Western Railway
Cardiff Central - Taunton		   Severn Tunnel Junction
  Great Western Railway
Cardiff Central - Brighton / Portsmouth Harbour		   Filton Abbey Wood
  Future services  
Pye Corner   Transport for Wales
Ebbw Valley Railway
   Terminus

History
British Railways Western Region "totem" sign for Newport High Street.
Up freight in 1963
Down iron ore train entering the station in 1963

The current station layout consists of four through-platforms numbered 1 to 4 from the south side. The original broad gauge station had only two 200-foot-long (61 m) through platforms and a bay platform at the east end of the down platform. The Hillfield railway tunnels to the west of the station were dug under Stow Hill in the 1840s.[11] On the closure of Dock Street and Mill Street stations to passengers in 1880, High Street station was greatly expanded: The up platform was made into an island - the north face 825 feet (251 m) in length, and the south side 814 feet (248 m). The down platform was extended to 897 feet (273 m), with the west end bay extended to 428 feet (130 m). Two scissors crossovers were provided on these new platforms, effectively dividing them into two. The original down platform became Nos. 1 and 2. The bay became No. 3, the south face of the up platform Nos. 4 and 5 and the north face Nos. 6 and 7. The bay platform was mostly used for Monmouthshire western valleys services, but with the quadrupling of the line in 1912 trains from the bay platform (on the south side) now had to cross the entire station to get to the Gaer Tunnel on the north side. To address this the former loading dock on the north side of the station was made into a passenger platform (No. 8).

April 1961 saw the introduction of colour Multiple-Aspect Signalling and associated modifications to the station layout. The north face of the island platform became the new up platform, with the south face becoming the new down. The platforms were also renumbered in the opposite direction to match the new line designations — No. 8 became No. 1, Nos. 6/7 became 2, Nos. 4/5 became No. 5 and Nos. 1/2 became No. 6. Lines 3 and 4 became the designations for the through non-platform lines. Subsequent removal of the scissors crossovers saw a further combination and renumbering of platforms to the current layout.

Name
Exterior of the old concourse, converted to offices in 2011

Originally named Newport High Street, the suffix High Street became unnecessary on the closure of Mill Street and Dock Street stations to goods traffic in the 1960s.[12] Printed tickets and National Rail enquiries use the suffix "South Wales" to differentiate this station from its namesake in Essex. In 2007 the Newport Unlimited urban regeneration company proposed the station be renamed Newport City railway station; however, this suggestion was not taken up.[13]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 19 August 1938, a passenger train was sent into a siding due to a signalman's error. It crashed through the buffers but the locomotive stopped short of falling into the River Usk.[14]

Facilities
The "Archform" sculpture by Harvey Hood, in the station forecourt on the site of the old west-facing bay platform

Platform 1 is only mainly used for westbound services to Cardiff Central during peak times. Platform 2 is usually the stopping point for all westbound services to Cardiff Central. Platform 3 is usually the stopping point for eastbound services to London Paddington and Nottingham. Platform 4 is usually the stopping point for eastbound services to Manchester Piccadilly, Holyhead, Portsmouth Harbour, Taunton and Cheltenham Spa and will also be used by trains to Ebbw Vale following the full re-opening of the Ebbw Valley Railway.

A British Transport Police station and a branch of WH Smith are situated on platform 1. The waiting room and customer toilets are situated between platforms 2 and 3, as is the Upper Crust café. Also between platforms 2 and 3 is a customer help desk. The booking hall is situated between the main entrance and platform 1. There are three main windows for tickets for immediate travel and a travel centre which handles enquiries, complaints and issues tickets for future travel. In the booking hall there is also a small buffet, telephones, automatic ticket machines and a photo booth. Wheelchair access between platforms is provided by a subway, accessed by a lift from the platforms. Also, a ramp from platforms 2 and 3 leads into a subway that links Mill Street to the city centre. There is a short-stay car park and taxi rank situated to the front and a long-stay car park to the rear which is accessible via a footbridge from all platforms. Since October 2005, automatic ticket barriers have been installed. At the same time, the ticket barriers are being used more often, before used during peak periods and match days, now manned throughout the day until late in the evening.

2007 development

The Welsh Government and Network Rail agreed a £20 million makeover for the station that provided two new concourses, a second pedestrian bridge over the tracks and a user-friendly bus-rail interchange at the station. The plans also included an extended platform 4 capable of accommodating up to twelve-carriage intercity trains and a new multi-storey car park for long-stay travellers. The initial redevelopment of Platform 4 did not allow for disabled access, resulting in station staff using a locally contracted taxi firm at £3 a passenger to move disabled and elderly passengers the half-mile from one side of the station to the other, in a complimentary service provision.[15] The first phase, platform 4 extension, was completed on 2 July 2007, with design works completed by Atkins.[16]

2009 development
Panorama of the interior of the new footbridge at the south stairwell.
The new concourse during construction in December 2009
Exterior of the new concourse opened 2010

Planned to enable the station to cope with passenger traffic associated with the 2010 Ryder Cup, a second passenger bridge was built linking the whole station with a lift for all platforms. Network Rail claimed accessibility and safety are at the heart of the new design.

The new bridge is clad in ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE),[17] the material which protects the Eden Project in Cornwall. The station enhancements were engineered by Atkins Engineers, based in Exeter and Swindon, with design support from Grimshaw Architects and Vector Foiltec working as sub-consultants.[18] The new north and south concourses opened on 13 September 2010.[19]

The development was criticised by RAIL magazine columnist Barry Doe for being at the wrong end of the station, a lack of seating and generally poor design.[20] The station was nominated in 2011 for the Carbuncle Cup, awarded for the ugliest building of the year.[21]

Arriva Trains Wales had expressed concern about a leaking roof, an inadequate customer service area and insufficient ticket gates.[17] Network Rail said the roof was fixed in mid-May 2011, but issues had resumed in 2013.[22] Transport for Wales acquired the management of the station in 2018 and are replacing station infrastructure across the network.[10]

Subsequent developments

The whole Newport area was re-signalled from 2009–12, providing speed improvements on the relief lines.

The Great Western Main Line from London to Cardiff was electrified as part of the Great Western Main Line electrification scheme.[23] As part of this the former footbridge was removed in 2017.[24] Following the introduction of Hitachi Rail British Rail Class 800/802 trains and the new timetable introduced on 15 December 2019, journey times between Newport and London Paddington were reduced to around 1 hour 30 minutes[25] The power from Bristol Parkway through Newport was switched on on 14 September 2019, with electric running extended to Newport from 15 December, and as far as Cardiff over the Christmas period.[25]

In September 2018, plans were submitted to Newport City Council for a new footbridge between Devon Place and Queensway, to replace the subway used since the closure of the previous footbridge.[26]

The South East Wales Transport Alliance (SEWTA) have proposed an additional service (one in every two hours) to Abergavenny with a re-opened station in Caerleon, two trains per hour between Cwmbran and Abergavenny, and an hourly service to Pontypool and New Inn, subject to line enhancements in Abergavenny.

Transport for Wales have included some of these proposals in their plans for the later stages of their South Wales Metro scheme.[10]

gollark: I heard it was quite large.
gollark: I'm aware of the APPLICABLE PLASTICITY project, but we don't seem to have had much success with current approaches.
gollark: Anyway, this means we're SEVERELY overdue for the next "meme".
gollark: Apioform actually originated in July but did not spread here for longer.
gollark: And then it really became a Thing™ in June.

See also

References
  1. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/NWP/details.html
  2. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 131 (Network Rail)
  3. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 128 (Network Rail)
  4. "SEWTA". SEWTA. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  5. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 51 (Network Rail)
  6. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 125 (Network Rail)
  7. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 123 (Network Rail)
  8. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 134 (Network Rail)
  9. "National Transport Plan" (PDF). Welsh Government. July 2009. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  10. "What's Happening in South East Wales | Transport for Wales". tfw.gov.wales. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  11. "A Summary of the Early History of Newport". Bob Trett, newportpast.com. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  12. Railway Magazine, July 1960
  13. "Newport Unlimited Minutes of the Meeting of the Board held on 22 November 2007". Newport Unlimited. 22 November 2007. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  14. Earnshaw, Alan (1991). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 7. Penryn: Atlantic Books. ISBN 0-906899-50-8.
  15. Taxis used between rail platforms BBC News - 17 August 2007
  16. "Newport Unlimited Annual Review 2005-06". Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  17. Clark, Rhodri (July 2011). "Newport station roof leaks". Modern Railways. Ian Allan Publishing. p. 12.
  18. "Station revamp ahead of Ryder Cup". BBC News. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  19. "Lasting benefits from £22m newport station upgrade". Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  20. Doe, Barry (4 May 2011). "The Fare Dealer". RAIL. Bauer Media (668): 51.
  21. "Carbuncle Cup 2011: MediaCity UK is crowned Britain's ugliest building". The Guardian. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  22. "Newport £22m railway station futuristic roof 'leaking'". BBC News. 26 April 2013.
  23. "Great Western electrification and IEP to go ahead". Railnews.co.uk. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  24. Newport railway station footbridge set to be removed South Wales Argus 18 March 2017
  25. "South Wales electrification". Network Rail. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  26. "Plans for 'attractive' footbridge to replace city subway move step closer". South Wales Argus. 12 September 2018.
  • South Wales Main Line - Newport ISBN 1-874103-76-3
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