Railway

The railway arrived in Upton five years after the first horse drawn omnibus. Upton station was opened in 1896, when the Wrexham Mold and Connahs Quay Rrailway was extended to Seacombe by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.

 

At the time of its opening, the joint undertaking was known as the North Wales and Liverpool Railway.

Railway Station

As with many stations, Upton Station was situated some distance from the village, in fact just outside the township.

 

The station had a simple design, a booking hall was built on the overbridge, with brick built waiting rooms on each of the two platforms. There was a goods and coal yard behind the Wrexham/Chester bound platform (now occupied by a Somerfield supermarket).

Railway Station

The North Wales and Liverpool Railway lasted for only nine years as the line was taken over by the Great Central Railway in 1905.

 

At grouping in 1923 the line became part of the London and North Eastern Railway.

Railway Station

Trains ran to Seacombe via Bidston, where it connected with the Wirral Railway, in the northern direction and to Wrexham Central and Chester Northgate in the southern.

 

Following nationalisation in 1948, British Rail closed Seacombe station (in 1960) and trains where rerouted, the northern terminus becoming New Brighton.

Railway Station

Chester Northgate station was closed in 1968, leaving Wrexham as the only southern terminus.

 

In 1971, the northern terminus was changed from New Brighton to Birkenhead North station, and then in 1978 the northern terminus was again changed, this time to Bidston.

 

Although Upton escaped the Beeching Axe, the station became an unmanned halt and the booking office, waiting rooms and other buildings where demolished in the early 1970s, ramps being built to provide access to the platforms from the road bridge.

 

Following de-nationalisation, the line was run by First North Western, who ran diesel multiple units to Bidston and Wrexham.

 

On 28th September 2003, 'Wales and Borders' (part of the National Express Group) took over operation of the line. The line is now operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Railway Station