Lawrence Hill railway station
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Hill railway station serves the St. George area of Bristol
, England
as well as the surrounding suburbs of Easton
, Barton Hill
, Whitehall
and Netham.
The station is 1 miles (2 km) north of Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line
and is unmanned.
The station was opened on 8 September 1863, when the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
was opened. The BSWUR (absorbed by the Great Western Railway
in 1868) ran from Temple Meads to New Passage
, where a ferry took passengers to South Wales.
The original track formation had 4 tracks, with 2 lines going between the current platforms and another 2 tracks immediately to the east that bypassed the station. The 2 lines that bypassed the platforms were lifted in the early part of 1985 and the trackbed has been derelict the since then. It has been proposed that this unused transport corridor could be used as a tramway or guided bus route toward Filton.
There was a goods yard at the station immediately to the west of the existing platforms. These were in use for cement depot until the mid 1980s. The land was developed in about 1990 and now has a supermarket and small industrial estate located on it.
On 1 November 2000, the station was the scene of a crash, when an empty Royal Mail
train ran into the back of a loaded coal train. The mail train locomotive rode up over the other train, ending up against the road overbridge while balanced on top of the 3rd coal wagon from the back. The driver of the mail train suffered head injuries in the crash. Officials found that the mail train had passed through two red lights. This accident is referred to in an RIAB accident report, the following text describes part of the accident at Lawrence Hill station: "The misunderstanding and incorrect use of the BPPCUIC cock on an EWS class 67 locomotive led to a serious accident at Lawrence Hill near Bristol (1 November 2000). This resulted in serious injury to a driver and significant damage to equipment."
, there will be up to 3 trains per hour between Lawrence Hill and Temple Meads.
CrossCountry
services pass through here but do not stop at the station.
, but at other times only reach Avonmouth
, a bus connection being provided for the onward journey. A Sunday service to Severn Beach operates from approximately 10:00 until 18:00.
Since 18 May 2008 an improved service has been offered. Trains will start earlier in the morning and finish later in the evening, with three trains to/from Avonmouth in every 2-hour cycle during the daytime in addition to those on other routes. This will have the unfortunate side-effect of trains not being at the same times past each hour.
Services through to Severn Beach will be reduced overall, with only one train every two hours Mondays to Fridays, as opposed to the current service provided by a bus every hour connecting with every train. However, overall journey time to Severn Beach is shortened by 8 minutes by removing the need to change at Avonmouth. The bus continues to run on Saturdays to provide one journey per hour to/from Severn Beach.
, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years, at Lawrence Hill they are;
It is situated very close to the start of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path
, a cycleway.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
as well as the surrounding suburbs of Easton
Easton, Bristol
Easton is both the name of a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and an inner city area that lies partly within that ward. The Easton ward also contains the Whitehall and Netham areas of the city. Notable places within the ward include Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road railway...
, Barton Hill
Barton Hill, Bristol
Barton Hill is an area of Bristol, just to the east of the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station.It includes residential, retail and industrial premises and is crossed by major roads, railway tracks and the feeder canal leading to Bristol Harbour.-History:Barton was a manor just...
, Whitehall
Whitehall, Bristol
Whitehall, is a district on the edge of inner Bristol city in England.-Parks:The local green space is Whitehall Playing Fields or Packer's Ground as it was known, taking its name from the local chocolate factory - Packers. As of 2006 this company is known as Famous Names and has just announced its...
and Netham.
The station is 1 miles (2 km) north of Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK. It runs from Narroways Hill Junction to Severn Beach, and is the successor to the Bristol Port Railway and Pier, which ran from a Bristol terminus in the Avon Gorge to a station and pier on the Severn Estuary.Passenger trains run from Bristol...
and is unmanned.
History
Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester...
was opened. The BSWUR (absorbed 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...
in 1868) ran from Temple Meads to New Passage
New Passage
New Passage is a small hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England located on the banks of the Severn estuary near the village of Pilning. It derives its name from the ferry service which operated between there and South Wales before the late 19th century, when it lost out in competition with the...
, where a ferry took passengers to South Wales.
The original track formation had 4 tracks, with 2 lines going between the current platforms and another 2 tracks immediately to the east that bypassed the station. The 2 lines that bypassed the platforms were lifted in the early part of 1985 and the trackbed has been derelict the since then. It has been proposed that this unused transport corridor could be used as a tramway or guided bus route toward Filton.
There was a goods yard at the station immediately to the west of the existing platforms. These were in use for cement depot until the mid 1980s. The land was developed in about 1990 and now has a supermarket and small industrial estate located on it.
On 1 November 2000, the station was the scene of a crash, when an empty Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
train ran into the back of a loaded coal train. The mail train locomotive rode up over the other train, ending up against the road overbridge while balanced on top of the 3rd coal wagon from the back. The driver of the mail train suffered head injuries in the crash. Officials found that the mail train had passed through two red lights. This accident is referred to in an RIAB accident report, the following text describes part of the accident at Lawrence Hill station: "The misunderstanding and incorrect use of the BPPCUIC cock on an EWS class 67 locomotive led to a serious accident at Lawrence Hill near Bristol (1 November 2000). This resulted in serious injury to a driver and significant damage to equipment."
Summary
There are generally two trains per hour from Lawrence Hill to Temple Meads or Stapleton Road. Along with the improved services to and from AvonmouthAvonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
, there will be up to 3 trains per hour between Lawrence Hill and Temple Meads.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services pass through here but do not stop at the station.
Severn Beach Line trains
Monday to Saturday there is a roughly 40 minute service to Bristol Temple Meads and northbound towards Clifton, Avonmouth and Severn Beach. During the morning and afternoon peaks as well as weekday evenings and all day on Saturdays, train services operate to Severn BeachSevern Beach railway station
Severn Beach railway station serves the village of Severn Beach, England. This is the terminus of the Severn Beach Line.This station is north west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line...
, but at other times only reach Avonmouth
Avonmouth railway station
Avonmouth railway station is a railway station serving the suburb of Avonmouth in Bristol, north-west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line. All trains serving it are operated and the station is managed by First Great Western. The station is managed by First Great Western.Five...
, a bus connection being provided for the onward journey. A Sunday service to Severn Beach operates from approximately 10:00 until 18:00.
Since 18 May 2008 an improved service has been offered. Trains will start earlier in the morning and finish later in the evening, with three trains to/from Avonmouth in every 2-hour cycle during the daytime in addition to those on other routes. This will have the unfortunate side-effect of trains not being at the same times past each hour.
Services through to Severn Beach will be reduced overall, with only one train every two hours Mondays to Fridays, as opposed to the current service provided by a bus every hour connecting with every train. However, overall journey time to Severn Beach is shortened by 8 minutes by removing the need to change at Avonmouth. The bus continues to run on Saturdays to provide one journey per hour to/from Severn Beach.
Other trains
Additional trains call on their journey between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway. Services to these destinations, such as Bristol Parkway, Gloucester, Taunton and Cheltenham Spa will remain largely unaffected by the changes in May 2008.Proposed Changes
In March 2007 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....
, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years, at Lawrence Hill they are;
- CCTV
- Help and information points
- Public address system
- Downside access ramp
- Showcase Bus route link
Cultural references
The station is mentioned in the introduction to the song Campervan Of Love by rock band Alien Stash Tin.It is situated very close to the start of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path
Bristol and Bath railway path
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a off-road cycleway that forms part of National Cycle Network National Cycle Route 4. The path consists of a wide tarmacked surface, and was used for 2.4 million trips in 2007, increasing by 10% per year....
, a cycleway.
See also
- Public transport in BristolPublic transport in BristolThe majority of public transport users in the Bristol Urban Area are transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours...