Hawarden Bridge Pont Penarlâg  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hawarden Bridge pictured in 2024 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Shotton,Flintshire Wales | ||||
| Coordinates | 53°13′05″N3°01′56″W / 53.218167°N 3.032121°W /53.218167; -3.032121 | ||||
| Grid reference | SJ311695 | ||||
| Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | HWB | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 22 September 1924 | Opened asHawarden Bridge Halt | ||||
| 1954 | Renamed asHawarden Bridge | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  2,674 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 790 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  1,268 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 2,006 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 2,356 | ||||
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Hawarden Bridge railway station (Welsh:Pont Penarlâg)[1] is arailway station nearShotton, Flintshire,Wales. It is situated on theBorderlands line 13 miles (21 km) north ofWrexham Central, on the north side ofHawarden Bridge over theRiver Dee. The station and all trains serving it are operated byTransport for Wales.
The station was opened by theLNER on 22 September 1924 asHawarden Bridge Halt, adjacent to theJohn Summerssteelworks.[2][3] The station was renamed asHawarden Bridge in 1954 when it was upgraded.[3][4]
The station was considerably busier in times past, being the nearest to the triangular junction with the former line toChester Northgate and Mickle Trafford as well as the steel plant. The Chester line closed to passengers in September 1968, but remained open for freight until June 1992 (it is now a footpath and cycleway) whilst the shutdown of much of the works in 1980 (with the loss of 6,000 jobs) led to a significant decline in use of the station.[3]
Thesignal box to the north of Dee Marsh Junction remains in use to control access to the remnants of the former Shotwick Sidings for the dispatch of finished steel products. The sidings were once used by heavy trains of iron ore from Bidston Dock in Birkenhead bound for the sidings Shotwick. An industrial park and rail-connected paper mill now occupy part of the old Shotton works site, whilst the rolling mill there is still operational receiving steel coil for processing from South Wales by rail. The signal box also acts as the 'fringe' to the MerseysideIntegrated Electronic Control Centre at Sandhills.[5]
It is situated immediately to the north of theHawarden Bridge railway swing bridge that last opened in 1960.
The station is unstaffed and only has basic amenities (CIS screens, waiting shelters and timetable poster boards on each platform). Step-free access is available to both platforms, but transfer between them requires the use of abarrow crossing.[6][7] The Chester Millennium Greenway cycle route runs adjacent to the station and provides access to the northbound platform.[7] The route also connects the station toShotton.[7]
Previously the station saw an infrequent service, with the only trains calling during the morning and evening peak periods towards Wrexham Central southbound andBidston northbound. Services were enhanced in May 2013 when Arriva Trains Wales introduced a Sunday service at the station - with all passenger services (every 90 minutes) stopping at the station (on request). Services were further enhanced a decade later in December 2023, where now all services on the line will stop (on request), giving a service approximately every 45 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes (dropping to two-hourly from mid evening and approximately every 90 minutes on Sundays).[8]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotton | Transport for Wales Borderlands Line | Neston | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Shotton Line and station open | Chester & Connah's Quay Railway | Sealand Line and station closed | ||
