Appleford railway station
Encyclopedia
Appleford railway station serves the village of Appleford-on-Thames
in Oxfordshire
, England
. It is operated by First Great Western
and is 8.25 miles (13 km) south of Oxford
on the Cherwell Valley Line
.
Platform 1 is used for Northbound First Great Western
services towards Oxford
and Platform 2 is used for those towards London Paddington station.
before the opening of the line. It was however closed after just a few years in February 1849.
It was reopened as Appleford Halt by the Great Western Railway
on 11 September 1933 in a bid to compete with the growing competition from the bus
es.
The station then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
Losing its "Halt" suffix and status on 5 May 1969, the station was served by Network South East when Sectorisation
was introduced in the 1980s.
Unusually, until recently it retained the original wooden platforms
and corrugated iron
pagoda
-roofed waiting shelters. These have been replaced by "bus shelter"-like waiting shelters. It has never been staffed; originally passengers could purchase tickets at the village Post office
, however since this has closed down, and ticketing facilities aren't present, passengers need to purchase tickets from the on-train conductor.
and Oxford
. In total there are 16 services each way with a two-hourly interval between trains (though during peak-times the number of trains rises significantly). Most of these services start or continue as semi-fast services between Reading and London Paddington.
Appleford-on-Thames
Appleford-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the south bank of the River Thames about north of Didcot, Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes.-Archaeology:...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
and is 8.25 miles (13 km) south of Oxford
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
on the Cherwell Valley Line
Cherwell Valley Line
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
.
Layout
The station entrance is awkwardly positioned on a humpback bridge and passengers must descend steep steps to the platforms.Platform 1 is used for Northbound First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
services towards Oxford
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
and Platform 2 is used for those towards London Paddington station.
History
It was opened originally with the line from Didcot to Oxford. The opening was 12 June 1844, having being planned and partly built by the Oxford Railway, which was absorbed into the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
before the opening of the line. It was however closed after just a few years in February 1849.
It was reopened as Appleford Halt by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
on 11 September 1933 in a bid to compete with the growing competition from the bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es.
The station then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on nationalisation in 1948.
Losing its "Halt" suffix and status on 5 May 1969, the station was served by Network South East when Sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced in the 1980s.
Unusually, until recently it retained the original wooden platforms
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
and corrugated iron
Corrugated galvanised iron
Corrugated galvanised iron is a building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised mild steel, cold-rolled to produce a linear corrugated pattern in them...
pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
-roofed waiting shelters. These have been replaced by "bus shelter"-like waiting shelters. It has never been staffed; originally passengers could purchase tickets at the village Post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, however since this has closed down, and ticketing facilities aren't present, passengers need to purchase tickets from the on-train conductor.
Services
Appleford station is served by stopping services run by First Great Western between ReadingReading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
and Oxford
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
. In total there are 16 services each way with a two-hourly interval between trains (though during peak-times the number of trains rises significantly). Most of these services start or continue as semi-fast services between Reading and London Paddington.