Crewe railway station facts for kids

Crewe railway station is a very important train station located in the town of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. It first opened in 1837. Many people consider it one of the most important train stations in the world.

The station has twelve platforms where trains stop. It also has a modern entrance for passengers, which includes a bookshop and a place to buy tickets. Crewe station is a major junction (a place where railway lines meet) on the West Coast Main Line. This makes it a key gateway for train travel in North West England. The station building is so important that it is a Grade II listed building, meaning it's protected for its history and special design.

The main company that manages Crewe station is Avanti West Coast. They also run most of the trains that stop there. Other train companies like Northern Trains, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and Transport for Wales also have regular trains from Crewe. Sometimes, CrossCountry runs one early morning train from the station.

Why Was Crewe Chosen for the Station?

The location for Crewe station was not the first choice. Nearby towns in Cheshire, like Winsford and Nantwich, were offered the chance to have the station built there, but they said no. This decision led to Crewe becoming the important railway hub it is today.

How Did the Station Change Crewe?

Because the train station became so important, the town of Crewe is now famous for its railways and everything connected to them. Even the town's football team, Crewe Alexandra, is nicknamed "The Railwaymen" because of this strong connection to trains.

Images for kids

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  This is an early picture of the original Crewe station from around 1840.

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  Platforms five and six are mainly used for fast trains on the West Coast Main Line.

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  This view shows Crewe station looking northeast, with six railway lines coming together.

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  Crewe station looked like this around the year 1900.

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  Looking north on Platform 4 in 1962, you can see an English-Electric Type 4 train on the left and a 6P "Jubilee" train on the right.

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  This picture was taken in 1958, looking north from the footbridge at the station's northern end.

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  In the early 1900s, the station added six more platforms to handle all the train traffic. However, in 1985, five of these platforms were closed, and only Platform 12 (shown here) remained in use.

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  This is the main entrance to Crewe station, which was built during a big renovation in the 1980s.

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  The Weston Road entrance was a newer addition to the station in 2014.