Ledbury railway station


Ledbury railway station serves the town of Ledbury, in Herefordshire, England. It is a stop on the Worcester to Hereford line; it has regular services to, with several direct trains each day to.

History

The line was built by the West Midland Railway, which opened the station on 15 September 1861. A branch line from Ledbury to, via Dymock and Newent, opened in July 1885. Ledbury Signal Box was opened, replacing one or perhaps two earlier signal boxes; it controlled a small engine shed on the north side of the station and a goods yard on the south.
The Newent branch was closed in 1959, and the goods yard and engine shed closed in 1965, leaving just the station itself. The modern station comprises two platforms with waiting shelters and car parking facilities; it is unusual in having a privately run ticket office located in a wooden chalet by the entrance.
The single-track Ledbury Tunnel, immediately to the east of the station, was notorious among steam locomotive crews for its bad atmosphere; this was the result of its unusually narrow bore combined with a steep gradient and a curve at the north end.
The station was featured in episode six of the second series of Great British Railway Journeys. Broadcast on 10 January 2011, Michael Portillo travelled from Ledbury to Shrewsbury.

Station masters

The station master's house is on the approach to the station forecourt and is Grade II listed.

Layout

Following the singling of the double track between Hereford and Ledbury in 1984, the station area bears the only section of double track. Trains travelling in opposite directions can pass each other between Shelwick Junction, near Hereford, and the east portal of Colwall New Tunnel, beneath the Malvern Hills at the former station and near to.

Services

Ledbury is served by two train operating companies; the general off-peak service pattern in trains per hour/day is:
West Midlands Railway
  • 1 tph to, via
  • 1 tph to.
Great Western Railway
  • 4 tpd to, via, and
  • 4 tpd to Hereford.