Kemble railway station
Encyclopedia
Kemble railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Kemble
in Gloucestershire
. The station is located on the Swindon
to Gloucester
"Golden Valley"
line. Despite its rural location, Kemble station has a high number of passengers, due mainly to the proximity of Cirencester
.
in 1882. Until the 1960s, the station was a junction, with two branch lines to Cirencester
and Tetbury
. The old branch lines can still be seen today - just before the tunnel after Kemble station (going Swindon
-bound). The Tetbury branch line
was closed to traffic together with the adjacent branch to Cirencester, the first day without service being 6 April 1964.
There was a proposal to redouble the railway line from Swindon to Kemble; the line was reduced to single track by British Rail in 1968. Network Rail has investigated the options for reinstating the second track, along with the likely cost of such options (presently, £32million). The 2007 Network Rail business plan mentioned these proposals as being scheduled for delivery in 2009. However, the Office of Rail Regulation has now decided against including the redoubling in N.R.'s 2009-2014 infrastructure plans, instead opting for double-tracking about one-quarter of the Oxford-to-Worcester line (North Cotswold line). At that time, the plans were in draft and were still open for submissions and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) would have accepted comments until 4 September 2008 on including other work, such as Swindon-to-Kemble. All of the Cotswolds' MPs along with Gloucestershire County Council, Network Rail and First Great Western were (as at July 2008), proposing to the ORR that Swindon/Kemble be re-doubled. On 23 March 2011, the Chancellor George Osborne
gave the go-ahead to plans to redouble the line between Kemble and Swindon in his budget.
The station has two platforms in use. The former Tetbury bound platform remains but the track has been lifted. The building on the down platform (no. 2) has been out of use for several years, containing toilets and a waiting room, which are still in situ. On the former Cirencester platform, a short stub of track remains for the occasional stabling of track machines. This ends at a buffer stop just before the station car park.
The station has a ticket office on platform 1, which open Mondays to Saturdays from 6:40am until lunchtime; for all other times the station is unstaffed. During the times the station is manned, the toilets are open.
There is also a small café selling newspapers, coffee and bacon rolls, this also being only open for the morning rush hour
.
operates services from London Paddington to and using HST
trains and local services from to Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa using the First Great Western Class 143
, , and trains.
Kemble station is served on a Monday to Friday by:
Making an off peak service of one train every two hours to London, with trains to Swindon, Cheltenham and Gloucester every hour. The station is occasionally served by Cardiff Central / Swansea services diverted during engineering works.
Kemble, Gloucestershire
Kemble is a village in Gloucestershire, England.It lies four miles from Cirencester and is the settlement closest to Thames Head, the source of the River Thames. Kemble Church is part of the Thameshead benefice, comprising the communities of Kemble, Ewen, Poole Keynes, Somerford Keynes, and...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. The station is located on the Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
"Golden Valley"
Golden Valley Line
The Golden Valley Line is a railway line from Swindon to Cheltenham in the UK.The line was originally built as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in the 1840s...
line. Despite its rural location, Kemble station has a high number of passengers, due mainly to the proximity of Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
.
History
The station was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR)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...
in 1882. Until the 1960s, the station was a junction, with two branch lines to Cirencester
Cirencester Branch Line
The Cirencester Branch Line was a five mile long single track branch railway line that ran from Kemble railway station on the Great Western Golden Valley Line to via two intermediate stations, , and and contained the highest rail crossing point on the River Thames.-History:In 1841 the branch was...
and Tetbury
Tetbury branch line
The Tetbury branch was a seven and a half mile long single track branch railway line that ran from Kemble railway station on the Great Western Railway's Golden Valley Line to via five intermediate stations, , , , , and .-History:...
. The old branch lines can still be seen today - just before the tunnel after Kemble station (going Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
-bound). The Tetbury branch line
Tetbury branch line
The Tetbury branch was a seven and a half mile long single track branch railway line that ran from Kemble railway station on the Great Western Railway's Golden Valley Line to via five intermediate stations, , , , , and .-History:...
was closed to traffic together with the adjacent branch to Cirencester, the first day without service being 6 April 1964.
There was a proposal to redouble the railway line from Swindon to Kemble; the line was reduced to single track by British Rail in 1968. Network Rail has investigated the options for reinstating the second track, along with the likely cost of such options (presently, £32million). The 2007 Network Rail business plan mentioned these proposals as being scheduled for delivery in 2009. However, the Office of Rail Regulation has now decided against including the redoubling in N.R.'s 2009-2014 infrastructure plans, instead opting for double-tracking about one-quarter of the Oxford-to-Worcester line (North Cotswold line). At that time, the plans were in draft and were still open for submissions and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) would have accepted comments until 4 September 2008 on including other work, such as Swindon-to-Kemble. All of the Cotswolds' MPs along with Gloucestershire County Council, Network Rail and First Great Western were (as at July 2008), proposing to the ORR that Swindon/Kemble be re-doubled. On 23 March 2011, the Chancellor George Osborne
George Osborne
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
gave the go-ahead to plans to redouble the line between Kemble and Swindon in his budget.
Description
The station has a ticket office on platform 1, which open Mondays to Saturdays from 6:40am until lunchtime; for all other times the station is unstaffed. During the times the station is manned, the toilets are open.
There is also a small café selling newspapers, coffee and bacon rolls, this also being only open for the morning rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
.
Services
First Great WesternFirst 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....
operates services from London Paddington to and using HST
British Rail Class 43 (HST)
The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982....
trains and local services from to Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa using the First Great Western Class 143
British Rail Class 143
The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple unit, part of the Pacer family of trains introduced between 1985 and 1986. They originally worked in the North-East of England but were later transferred to Wales and South-West England....
, , and trains.
Kemble station is served on a Monday to Friday by:
- 18 Swindon bound trains, 8 of which continue to London Paddington via Reading
- 18 Gloucester bound trains, 17 of which continue to Cheltenham Spa.
Making an off peak service of one train every two hours to London, with trains to Swindon, Cheltenham and Gloucester every hour. The station is occasionally served by Cardiff Central / Swansea services diverted during engineering works.