Hopton Heath railway station

Hopton Heath railway station is a railway station (though in present times is more akin to a halt) in Hopton Heath, a hamlet in Shropshire, England (which is alternatively spelled as a single word "Hoptonheath"). It lies on the Heart of Wales Line, 25 ¹⁄₂ miles (41.0 km) south west of Shrewsbury.

Contents

• Services
• Bus service
• References

The station is situated in a very rural area; the nearest sizeable settlement is Hopton Castle and further afield are the larger villages of Clungunford and Leintwardine (the latter in Herefordshire). The station was for a number of years the least used National Rail station in Shropshire, however passenger numbers have recently increased and now Broome is the county's least used station.

The station and line were constructed by the Knighton Railway and opened in 1861. Further construction and route openings in 1865 and 1868 subsequently put the station on a through route between Shrewsbury and Swansea.

The railway station is located below street level, to the south of the B4385 road bridge. The original station building is now private houses. Originally there were two tracks running through, but one has been lifted with the "singling" of the line in general. The station has two platforms: the original, but now disused, Shrewsbury-bound platform extends entirely to the south of the bridge; the remaining passenger platform (originally for Swansea-bound trains, but now used for all trains) extends under the bridge, though at present only the part to the south is usually used by passengers.

Access to the platform is via steps from the road bridge or alternatively via a level footpath (which cycles are also allowed to use) which runs south from the station to the "Ashlea Pools" holiday park entrance.