Chester (Chester)

ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about taking trains to and from Chester station and answered them below.

If you can't find the information you are seeking, you can ask a question by using the Travel Planning Service.

Yes - platforms / tracks 1 to 3 are on the same level as the station's street level entrance hall and lifts /elevators are available to provide step-free access to and from platforms / tracks 4 to 7.
When departing and arriving at platforms / tracks 4 to 7 the staircases provide the most obvious route to and from the trains, but there is an alternative.

On foot it takes 15-20 mins to reach the Eastgate Clock in the heart of the city; The route is to go straight ahead of the station on to City Road, then at the end of the road use the pedestrian underpass to access Foregate Street.

The public transport option is to take the City Link Bus, route/line 40, which stops just outside the station entrance.
It operates a circular one way route, so before the city centre it heads to the bus station and then stops in the central area on Foregate Street.
The bus departs every 15 mins and the fare/cost is £1.

Yes - there is a branch of Costa in the station entrance hall and there a food/drink outlets on platforms 3 and 4.

Though if you will at Chester station at least 45 mins prior to departure ShowMeTheJourney can personally recommend the lunch options in the Queen at Chester Hotel - which is steps away from the station and shares its forecourt.

No, this facility is not available at Chester station

No - this facility is not available at Chester station.

The typical pattern of train departures from Chester station is:

• to Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International via Wrexham, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton = 1 x train every other hour operated by TFW Rail
• to Cardiff Central via Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Leominster, Abergavenny and Newport = 1 x train every other hour operated by TFW Rail
• to London Euston via Crewe and Stafford = 6 to 9 x trains per day operated by Avanti West Coast
• to Leeds via Warrington Bank Quay, Manchester Victoria, Halifax and Bradford operated by Northern
• to Manchester Airport via Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Piccadilly = 1 x train per hour on Monday to Saturday operated by TFW Rail
• to Manchester Piccadilly via Northwich, Altrincham and Stockport = 1 x train per hour on Monday to Saturday operated by Northern
• to Llandudno via Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction = 1 x train per hour on Monday to Saturday operated by TFW Rail; connect at Llandudno Junction on Sunday
• to Holyhead via Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Bangor = 1 or 2 x trains per hour operated by Avanti West Coast and / or operated by TFW Rail
• to multiple stations in central Liverpool = up to 4 x trains per hour operated by MerseyRail
• to Liverpool Lime Street = 1 x train per hour on Monday to Saturday operated by TFW Rail

Live departures can be looked up here

The platforms / tracks at Chester station are in two distinct groups.
The entrance hall is directly linked to platform's tracks 1, 2 and 3, but platforms 4 to 7 are on an island, which is separate from the main station building and linked to it by a footbridge.

To platforms 1 to 3

When passing trough the ticket gates, the platform / track 3 will be immediately in front of you, but because it is long, it is divided into two sections - 3A to the right and 3B to the left

Trains often depart from these specific parts of this platform, so may have to walk further along platform 3 to wait for and board your train.

Platform 1, which is most typically used by trains heading to Crewe, is accessed by turning right and then walking along platform 3 - it is on the other side of the footbridge which spans the station

Platform 2, which is where the trains heading to Birmingham typically depart from, can be accessed by walking through the ticket gates and turning left

To platforms 4 to 7

The steps to the right, on the other side of the ticket gates, lead to platforms 4 to 7, which are all grouped together on the other side of the station.

However, you don't have to use the steps up to the footbridge which connects them to the station concourse; there is a somewhat hidden lift/elevator available;
To find it, turn to the right once you're on platform 3, as it's tucked into an alcove under the footbridge - pictured above
On the other side of the bridge another lift/elevator will take you down to platforms/tracks 4 to 7.

There is a heated waiting room and cafe available on platforms 4 to 7.

• The Merseyrail trains to Liverpool typically depart from platform 7
• Platforms 5 to 6 are typically used by the trains heading to Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport and the trains to Leeds via Manchester Victoria

Platforms, 1, 2 and 3, are on the same level as the station concourse - the ticket gates are on platform 3

However, if your train arrives at platforms 4 to 7, you will need to use the footbridge in order to exit the station.
You don't have to use the stairs as a hidden, but well sign-posted, lift/elevator is available; You'll find it in the modern looking waiting room which is in the middle of this island of platforms.

On the other side of the footbridge another lift/elevator will take you down to an area just off platform 3 - When exiting the lift, walk ahead on to the platform and then turn to the left, then a matter of steps away you will find the ticket gates.

As Chester is a walled medieval city, the at times reckless Victorian railway engineers, evidently decided to take a conservative approach to how trains could be taken to/from the city - So they used some spare land some distance from the central area, presumably to avoid having to demolish anything recorded in the history books.

As a consequence there's no getting away from the fact that Chester station has a somewhat inconvenient location.
The pedestrian route involves heading off ahead from the station down City Road, but it takes 15-20 mins to reach the Eastgate Clock in the heart of the city; and the route isn't particularly straightforward because at the other end of City Road is a busy traffic junction, which is best crossed by using an underpass passage way.

The only public transport option is to take the City Link Bus, route/line 40, which stops just outside the station entrance.
It operates a circular one way route, so before the city centre it heads to the bus station and then stops in the central area on Foregate Street.
This is its only stop in the city centre, so when heading to the station you need to board the bus here.
The bus departs every 15 mins and the fare/cost is £1.

To Chester Zoo

The easiest route to Chester Zoo from Chester station is to take the route/line 1 operated by Stagecoach
The buses, which typically depart from stop S6 at Chester station every 30 mins, will be heading to Liverpool.
The journey to the zoo takes around 15 minutes.

1: Use the map above to see which hotel rooms and Vrbo rentals, with easy access to Chester station are available.

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Stay 22 will 'shuffle' the booking services so that you can be automatically directed to its partner that currently has the optimum availability at this location.