Crewe Railway Switchboard

Built in 1959, the British Railway Board’s new automatic phone exchange and telegraph office at Crewe played a key role in railway communications. It was essential for handling the increasing number of calls related to rail services. Operators connected British Rail employees and other rail companies to stations, offices, depots, and signal boxes throughout the UK. It was considered a crucial part of the everyday operations of the UK railway system.

The public could also use this service to reach railway stations that weren’t listed, often to inquire about lost items. Many workers from Crewe have cherished memories of the switchboard, with hundreds employed there over the last fifty years.

Initially managed by British Rail, the call centre was sold to various companies from 1995 to 2009, including Racal Telecoms and Global Crossing, and it was most recently run by Level 3 Communications until it closed.

Later referred to as the Mercury House switchboard, the facility received its last call in August 2016 when the service moved to other centres in the UK. After the closure, the building remained empty for several years before it was partially stripped down in 2022. The future of the building is still uncertain.