The original station The
Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway (WMCQ) had opened between and Buckley (old station) on 1 May 1866. A southern extension to a station better situated for the centre of Wrexham was authorised on 18 August 1882; work did not begin until January 1887, and it was opened on 1 November the same year. Wrexham Central was a large station, with a
marshalling yard and
goods depot accompanying it. The station clock was provided and maintained free of charge by a local watchmaker named Pierce. and Wrexham Central almost met a similar fate (it was listed for closure in the
Beeching Report of 1963). As Wrexham was undergoing population growth at the time and protests against the proposal were widespread, it was decided to retain it due to being conveniently close to the city centre. The station became unstaffed from 7 February 1972 and it was reduced to a single track station in August 1973, with a small concrete shelter and an adjacent stabling siding. Part of the old W&ER remained in use for freight as far as
Abenbury Sidings until final closure in May 1981. after which they were reduced to a large
car park and railway club. The station and goods yard had a 56-lever signal box, which was used until 19 August 1973. The local rail users group tried to prevent this, but failed. They did however get a large station building constructed, compared to the prefabricated open concrete shelter it replaced, and the new station was opened on 23 November 1998. There are possibilities that Wrexham Central may become
electrified, as part of electrification of the entire Borderlands line. Network Rail mentioned this as a possible future development for the route in its 2007 Business Plan for the area, but further progress is dependent on a favourable business case being put forward and funding secured. The station is unstaffed and the main building is no longer in use. However a self-service ticket machine is available on the platform, asking with a self-help point, electronic departure displays and automated
PA system. The station adjoins a pay-and-display car park within the
Island Green Retail Park, however three free spaces are provided for railway passengers. At
privatisation, the station became managed by North Western Trains, later known as
First North Western. A review in 2003 led to the station being briefly operated by
Wales & Borders, before
Arriva Trains Wales from late 2003, and
Transport for Wales from 2018. ==Services==