Rail services in the West of England
Rail services in the West of England refer to passenger rail journeys made in the Bristol commuter area. 17 million passenger rail journeys were made in 2019-20 within the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath region.[1]
Services in the West of England
CrossCountry (XC)
- Bristol Temple Meads - Manchester Piccadilly (Extensions to Paignton)
- Plymouth - Edinburgh Waverley (Extensions to Glasgow and Aberdeen)
Great Western Railway (GWR)
- South West/Bristol Temple Meads - London Paddington (via Bath Spa)
- Swansea/Cardiff - London Paddington (via Bristol Parkway)
- Bristol Parkway - Weston-super-Mare
- Great Malvern/Gloucester - Westbury/Weymouth
- Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour
- Cardiff Central - Taunton
- Bristol Temple Meads - Avonmouth/Severn Beach
South Western Railway (SWR)
- Yeovil Junction/Frome - Salisbury/London Waterloo
Main destinations
There is usually a direct weekday service from Bristol Parkway & Bristol Temple Meads to these destinations:
Destination | Time from Bristol Temple Meads |
Time from Bristol Parkway |
Operator(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Avonmouth | 23 – 35 minutes | N/A | GWR |
Bath Spa | 11 – 19 minutes | 28 – 47 minutes | GWR |
Bristol Parkway | 8 – 21 minutes | N/A | CrossCountry / GWR |
Bristol Temple Meads | N/A | 9 – 20 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Birmingham New Street | 83 – 122 minutes | 71 – 93 minutes | CrossCountry |
Cardiff Central | 47 – 63 minutes | 35 – 66 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Cheltenham Spa | 38 – 68 minutes | 29 – 57 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Edinburgh Waverley | 393 – 399 minutes | CrossCountry | |
Exeter St Davids | 56 – 112 minutes | 69–109 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Glasgow Central | 461 – 471 minutes | 456–464 minutes | CrossCountry |
Gloucester | 38 – 57 minutes | 26–44 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Leeds | 210 – 217 minutes | 202–215 minutes | CrossCountry |
London Paddington | 97 – 152 minutes | 83–106 minutes | GWR |
Manchester Piccadilly | 179 – 180 minutes | 168–169 minutes | CrossCountry |
Newcastle | 299 – 303 minutes | 289 - 293 minutes | CrossCountry |
Newport | 30 – 47 minutes | 21–23 minutes | GWR |
Paignton | 97 – 145 minutes | 118 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Penzance | 236 – 292 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR | |
Plymouth | 114 – 167 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR | |
Portsmouth Harbour | 146 – 164 minutes | N/A | GWR |
Reading | 68 – 123 minutes | 59 minutes | GWR |
Salisbury | 68 – 86 minutes | GWR | |
Severn Beach | 33 – 38 minutes | N/A | GWR |
Sheffield | 167 – 172 minutes | 159 minutes | CrossCountry |
Southampton Central | 99 – 116 minutes | GWR | |
Swansea | 80 - 85 minutes | GWR | |
Swindon | 35 – 50 minutes | 28 minutes | GWR |
Taunton | 30 – 75 minutes | 42–49 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Westbury | 37 – 50 minutes | 68–75 minutes | GWR |
Weston-super-Mare | 17 – 39 minutes | 47 minutes | CrossCountry / GWR |
Weymouth | 141 – 148 minutes | 167–170 minutes | GWR |
Worcester Shrub Hill | 90 – 102 minutes | 82–84 minutes | GWR |
York | 240 – 243 minutes | CrossCountry |
Stations
Current stations
Station | Line(s) | Platforms | Usage 08/09 [2] | Usage 09/10 [3] | Usage 10/11 [4] | Usage 11/12 [5] | Usage 12/13 [6] | Usage 13/14 [7] | Usage 14/15 [8] | Usage 15/16 [9] | Usage 16/17 [10] | Usage 17/18 [11] | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Avonmouth | Severn Beach | 2 | Increase 61,948 | Increase 68,448 | Increase 83,674 | Increase 88,642 | Increase 97,880 | Increase 111,440 | Increase 119,924 | Increase 129,860 | Avonmouth railway station | ||
Bedminster | Bristol to Exeter | 3 | Increase 58,690 | Increase 69,898 | Increase 70,006 | Increase 76,420 | Increase 80,262 | Increase 83,242 | Increase 87,542 | Increase 92,868 | Bedminster railway station | ||
Bristol Parkway | Cross Country South Wales |
4 | Increase 2,084,200 | Decrease 2,041,548 | Increase 2,114,876 | Increase 2,262,000 | Decrease 2,255,298 | Decrease 2,215,810 | Increase 2,340,506 | Increase 2,511,016 | Bristol Parkway railway station | ||
Bristol Temple Meads | Bristol to Exeter Cross Country Great Western Heart of Wessex Severn Beach Wessex |
13 | Increase 7,829,628 | Increase 7,875,686 | Increase 8,409,340 | Increase 8,884,626 | Increase 9,099,368 | Increase 9,522,840 | Increase 10,099,526 | Increase 10,711,464 | Bristol Temple Meads railway station | ||
Clifton Down | Severn Beach | 2 | Increase 281,876 | Increase 361,828 | Increase 433,088 | Increase 470,980 | Increase 522,010 | Increase 573,770 | Increase 619,766 | Increase 672,386 | Clifton Down railway station | ||
Filton Abbey Wood | Cross Country | 4 | Increase 536,958 | Increase 598,032 | Increase 679,270 | Increase 771,344 | Increase 852,250 | Increase 988,734 | Increase 1,007,780 | Increase 1,021,550 | Filton Abbey Wood railway station | ||
Keynsham | Great Western Heart of Wessex Wessex |
2 | 249,842 | Increase 278,850 | Increase 306,276 | Increase 329,274 | Increase 358,186 | Increase 412,602 | Increase 424,032 | Keynsham railway station | |||
Lawrence Hill | Cross Country Severn Beach |
2 | Increase 67,338 | Increase 74,876 | Increase 93,600 | Increase 102,964 | Increase 124,878 | Increase 136,316 | Increase 150,774 | Increase 157,912 | Lawrence Hill railway station | ||
Montpelier | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 84,834 | Increase 96,114 | Increase | Increase 122,212 | Increase 126,316 | Decrease 121,294 | Increase 130,560 | Decrease 122,146 | Montpelier railway station | ||
Nailsea & Backwell | Bristol to Exeter | 2 | 450,510 | Increase 476,618 | File:Nailsea and Backwell railway station MMB 56.jpg | ||||||||
Parson Street | Bristol to Exeter | 2 | Increase 46,670 | Increase 57,374 | Increase 68,840 | Increase 77,720 | Increase 87,932 | Increase 102,654 | Increase 114,458 | Increase 126,636 | Parson Street railway station | ||
Patchway | South Wales Main Line | 2 | Increase 45,280 | Increase 49,812 | Increase 59,474 | Increase 67,422 | Increase 82,198 | Increase 90,404 | Increase 92,540 | Increase 98,296 | Patchway railway station | ||
Pilning | South Wales Main Line | 1 | Increase 130 | Increase 166 | Increase 178 | Decrease 146 | Decrease 130 | Decrease 88 | Decrease 68 | Decrease 46 | Pilning railway station | ||
Portway Park & Ride | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Portway Park & Ride railway station | ||||||||||
Redland | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 86,234 | Increase 86,426 | Increase 92,966 | Increase 96,904 | Decrease 94,984 | Decrease 93,176 | Increase 105,610 | Decrease 99,732 | Redland railway station | ||
Sea Mills | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 36,358 | Increase 41,680 | Increase 49,082 | Increase 51,998 | Increase 58,310 | Decrease 58,106 | Increase 64,512 | Decrease 61,696 | Sea Mills railway station | ||
Severn Beach | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 74,712 | Increase 88,504 | Increase | Increase 141,712 | Increase 167,078 | Increase 195,824 | Increase 225,658 | Increase 260,784 | Severn Beach railway station | ||
Shirehampton | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 34,292 | Increase 35,758 | Increase 42,566 | Increase 43,480 | Increase 50,564 | Increase 51,542 | Increase 52,480 | Increase 56,756 | Shirehampton railway station | ||
St Andrews Road | Severn Beach Line | 1 | Increase 3,582 | Increase 3,942 | Increase 4,328 | Increase 6,072 | Increase 9,910 | Increase 13,376 | Decrease 11,184 | Decrease 7,374 | St Andrews Road railway station | ||
Stapleton Road | Cross Country Route Severn Beach Line |
2 | Increase 103,576 | Increase 111,532 | 129,344 | Increase 140,390 | Increase 157,294 | Increase 178,114 | Increase 179,872 | Stapleton Road railway station | |||
Yate | Cross Country Route | 2 | 294,934 | Increase 307,148 | Increase 328,832 | Increase 354,004 | Increase 368,910 | Yate railway station |
Heritage stations
This is a list of stations currently open on heritage lines.
Station | Line | Platforms | Year Closed | Year Reopened | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Avon Riverside | Avon Valley Railway | 1 | N/A | 2004 | File:Avon Riverside railway station MMB 05.jpg |
Bitton | Avon Valley Railway | 2 | 1966 | 1972 | File:Bristol bath path railway station.jpg |
Oldland Common | Avon Valley Railway | 1 | 1966 | 1991 | File:Oldland Common railway station.JPG |
Proposed stations
This is a list of proposed railway stations in the West of England. (This list includes some former stations)
Station | Line | Platforms | Year closed | Current status | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashley Down | Cross Country Route | 2 | 1964 (as Ashley Hill) | Under construction | File:Ashley Hill railway station site.jpg |
Ashton Gate | Portishead Railway | 1 | 1964/1984 | Proposed to reopen | File:Ashton to Portishead Railway Line d 2012 - Flickr - Greater Bristol Metro Rail.jpg |
Charfield | Cross Country | 2 | 1965 | Proposed to reopen | File:Former Charfield Railway Station. - panoramio.jpg |
Chittening Platform | Henbury Loop | 1 | 1964 | Proposed to reopen | |
Long Ashton | Bristol to Exeter | 2 | 1941 | Proposed to reopen | File:Long Ashton railway station MMB 01.jpg |
Henbury | Henbury Loop | 2 | 1965 | Proposed to reopen | File:Bristol MMB «L5 Henbury Loop Line.jpg |
Horfield | Cross Country Route | 2 | 1964 | Proposed to reopen | File:2018 at Horfield - relaying the main line (02).JPG |
North Filton | Henbury Loop | 1 | 1986 | Planning application | File:North Filton Platform railway station (site), Gloucestershire (geograph 5724225).jpg |
Pill | Portishead Railway | 2 | 1964 | Proposed to reopen | File:Pill railway station MMB 01.jpg |
Portishead | Portishead Railway | 2 | 1964 | Proposed to reopen | File:Portishead railway station in 1960.jpg |
Saltford | Great Western Main Line | 2 | 1970 | Proposed to reopen | File:Saltford station site 2011.JPG |
St Anne's Park | Great Western Main Line | 2 | 1970 | Proposed to reopen | File:St Annes - FGW 43189.JPG |
Former stations
This is a list of former stations in the West of England area.
Station | Line | Platforms | Year Closed | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Avonmouth (BPRP) | Severn Beach Line | |||
Avonmouth Docks | Severn Beach Line | |||
Avonmouth (Royal Edward) | Severn Beach Line | |||
Brislington | Bristol and North Somerset Railway | 1 | 1963 | File:Brislington Station (remains) - geograph.org.uk - 1909480.jpg |
Charlton Halt | Henbury Loop | 2 | 1915 | |
Clifton Bridge | Portishead Branch | 2 | 1965 | File:Clifton Bridge Stn 2.jpg |
Coalpit Heath | South Wales Main Line Cross Country Route |
2 | 1961 | |
Cross Hands Halt | Severn Beach Line | 1 | 1964 | |
Filton | Cross Country Route | 1903 | ||
Filton Junction | Cross Country Route | 1996 | ||
Fishponds | Bristol and Gloucester Railway | 2 | 1966 | File:The Site of Fishponds Railway Station.jpg |
Hallen | Henbury Loop | 2 | 1918 | |
Ham Green | Portishead Branch | 1 | 1964 | File:Ham Green railway station in 1960.jpg |
Horfield | Cross Country Route | 2 | 1964 | File:2018 at Horfield - relaying the main line (02).JPG |
Hotwells | Bristol Port Railway and Pier | 2 | 1921 | |
Hotwells Halt | Bristol Port Railway and Pier | 1 | 1922 | |
Kelston | Mangotsfield Branch Line | 2 | 1949 | |
Mangotsfield | Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line Bristol and Gloucester Railway |
6 | 1966 | File:Mangotsfield railway station in 1973.jpg |
New Passage Halt | Severn Beach Line | 1 | 1964 | |
New Passage Pier | Severn Beach Line | 1886 | ||
Nightingale Valley Halt | Portishead Railway | 1 | 1932 | |
Portbury | Portishead Branch | 1 | 1962 | File:Portbury railway station MMB 04.jpg |
St Philip's | Bristol and Gloucester Railway | 1 | 1967 | File:Bristol St Philips Station (remains) - geograph.org.uk - 1909537.jpg |
Staple Hill | Bristol and Gloucester Railway | 2 | 1966 | File:Staple Hill railway station in 1967.jpg |
Thornbury | Thornbury Branch | 1 | 1944 | |
Warmley | Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line | 2 | 1966 | File:Warmley railway station in 1972.jpg |
Wickwar | Cross Country | 2 | 1965 | |
Winterbourne | Cross Country South Wales |
2 | 1963 | |
Whitchurch Halt | Bristol and North Somerset Railway | 1 | 1959 |
Railway lines
There are six railway lines running through Bristol.
Bristol to Exeter line
The Bristol to Exeter line runs between Bristol and Exeter via the Nailsea, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater and Taunton. It is served by local First Great Western services, and used by Cross-Country and Intercity trains headed towards Plymouth.
Cross-Country Route
The North-East/South-West route (sometimes simply The Cross-Country Route) is the major British rail route running from South West England or Cardiff via Bristol, Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield to North-East England and Scotland. It includes some of the longest inter-city rail journeys in the UK, e.g. Penzance to Aberdeen. It remains a major freight route, although now largely usurped by the M5, M6 and M1 motorways. The route shares parts of the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line, Sheffield to Hull Line, the East Coast Main Line and the core Cardiff-Bristol-Birmingham-Derby route. In November 2018 tracks were doubled from Bristol Temple Meads through Lawrence Hill to Filton Abbey Wood stations to increase capacity, back to the original four tracks.[12]
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads station in Bristol.
Severn Beach Line
The route runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach via Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road before reaching terminus at Severn Beach. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes. Following a successful campaign by FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway), the Severn Beach Line is going to have an increased frequency from December 2007 to March 2010.[13] It is hoped this will pave the way for better services across the conurbation. An additional train will operate on the line meaning services should be at the least every 40 mins.
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. It diverges from the main line at Wootton Bassett near Swindon, first calling at Bristol Parkway, after which the line continues through the Severn Tunnel into South Wales.
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.
Proposed light rail or rapid transit
In November 2016, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potential light rail/tram routes from the city centre to Bristol Airport, the eastern and north west fringes of the city, and a route along the A4 road to Bath.[14] By 2017, this proposal had changed to a mass transit network with potential for underground sections, linking the city centre with the northern and eastern fringes of the city and the airport.
Train operators
Current train operators
Operator | Years | Image | Major services |
---|---|---|---|
CrossCountry | 2007–2019 | CrossCountry |
|
Great Western Railway (GWR) | 1996–2020 | Great Western Railway |
Former train operators
Operator | Years | Image | Services |
---|---|---|---|
Post-nationalisation | |||
British Rail | 1948–1986 | All services | |
Post-sectorisation | |||
InterCity | 1986–1996 | InterCity |
|
Regional Railways | 1986–1996 | Regional Railways | All non-InterCity services |
Post-privatisation | |||
South West Trains | 2004–2017 | South West Trains |
|
South Western Railway (SWR) | 2017-2021 | ||
Virgin CrossCountry | 1997–2007 | Virgin Trains |
|
Wales & Borders | 2001–2003 | Wales & Borders | |
Wales & West | 1997–2001 | Wales & West | |
Wessex Trains | 2001–2006 | Wessex Trains | All local and non-express inter-city services. |
There have also been a number of other companies pre-nationalisation, including:
- Great Western Railway
- Midland Railway
- Bristol and Gloucester Railway
- Birmingham and Bristol Railway
- Bristol Port Railway and Pier
- Bristol and North Somerset Railway
- Portishead Railway
MetroWest
MetroWest is a current initiative in the West of England area to improve local rail services by reopening disused rail lines and stations and improving existing services. Phase One includes reopening the Portishead railway line to passenger traffic and improving services to the Severn Beach Line and Bath Spa. Phase Two will see the Henbury railway line reopen, along with half-hourly services between Weston-super-Mare and Yate. The phases are due to open in 2019[15] and 2021[16] respectively. The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership also produced a Key Principles Report in November 2015 discussing future potential transport projects for the West of England region, including new rail transit based options referred to as MetroWest++. The options outlined include reopening the Thornbury Branch Line, a Yate to Bath route, the use of tram train technology, a link to the city centre and a connection to Bristol Airport.[17]
See also
References
- ↑ "Regional Rail Usage 2019-20 - ORR Data Portal" (PDF). orr.gov.uk. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal".
- ↑ "Bristol railway line shut until mid-November for upgrade". BBC News. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ↑ "The Lib dem Council Cabinet have amended their budget to provide an extra train on the Severn Beach line from December 2007 -". Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2007. Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway
- ↑ "West of England Joint Transport Study - Transport Vision Summary Document" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ↑ "MetroWest: Phase 1".
- ↑ "MetroWest: Phase 2".
- ↑ "Issues and Options for Consultation. Key Principles Report" (PDF). West of England Joint Transport Study. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
External links
- File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Rail transport in Bristol at Wikimedia Commons