Severn Beach railway station
Encyclopedia
Severn Beach railway station serves the village of Severn Beach
, England
. This is the terminus of the Severn Beach Line
.
This station is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north west from Bristol Temple Meads
on the Severn Beach Line
. The station is managed by First Great Western
, who are also the sole provider of trains serving the station.
. A platform was built beside the line at Severn Beach by the Great Western Railway
in 1922, and a bay platform added to the west for excursion traffic, with terminating passenger services from Bristol starting on 26 May 1924, subsequently extended to in a loop back to Bristol via from 9 July 1928. By 1924 a brick concourse had been built perpendicular to the bay platform, providing a ticket office, the station master's office, toilets and a ladies' waiting room. The station master and keeper of the level crossing were also provided with houses, while to the east of the platform were sidings, primarily for stabling of excursion trains.
By the 1950s, passenger traffic at Severn Beach was declining, and in November 1964 through services to Pilning ceased, with the line north closed completely in July 1968, although goods traffic at severn Beach had already ended in 1963.
More recently, services to Severn Beach have been cut back further, with only one in three trains to now continuing on to Severn Beach. The concourse and other station buildings have been demolished, replaced with a small metal and glass shelter, while the eastern rails have been pulled up, leaving just the bay platform remaining. Half of the 220 metres (240.6 yd) is cordoned off, and that which remains dwarfs the two-car diesel multiple unit
s which use it. To the east, the land once used for sidings has become overgrown and a dumping ground for litter and general detritus.
using mainly Pacer units. Monday to Friday, three trains per hour run from Temple Meads to , with one extended to and Severn Beach, giving a service roughly every two hours, the first arriving around 6am and the last departing Severn Beach about 11pm. On Saturdays more trains continue, with either a replacement bus service or train each hour, with more trains in the evening. Sunday sees only two services.
, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years, at Severn Beach they are;
Severn Beach
Severn Beach is a village on the mouth of the river Severn in South Gloucestershire, England. A riverside footpath, which is part of the Severn Way, leads beneath the Second Severn Crossing bridge...
, 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...
. This is the terminus of 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...
.
This station is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north west from Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
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...
. The station is managed 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....
, who are also the sole provider of trains serving the station.
History
The railway reached Severn Beach in 1900, but was at first used only for goods traffic to PilningPilning
Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, close to Redwick and Severn Beach. Pilning is close to the busy M4, M49 and A403 as well as a railway line running through it, with a minor station...
. A platform was built beside the line at Severn Beach 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 1922, and a bay platform added to the west for excursion traffic, with terminating passenger services from Bristol starting on 26 May 1924, subsequently extended to in a loop back to Bristol via from 9 July 1928. By 1924 a brick concourse had been built perpendicular to the bay platform, providing a ticket office, the station master's office, toilets and a ladies' waiting room. The station master and keeper of the level crossing were also provided with houses, while to the east of the platform were sidings, primarily for stabling of excursion trains.
By the 1950s, passenger traffic at Severn Beach was declining, and in November 1964 through services to Pilning ceased, with the line north closed completely in July 1968, although goods traffic at severn Beach had already ended in 1963.
More recently, services to Severn Beach have been cut back further, with only one in three trains to now continuing on to Severn Beach. The concourse and other station buildings have been demolished, replaced with a small metal and glass shelter, while the eastern rails have been pulled up, leaving just the bay platform remaining. Half of the 220 metres (240.6 yd) is cordoned off, and that which remains dwarfs the two-car diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s which use it. To the east, the land once used for sidings has become overgrown and a dumping ground for litter and general detritus.
Service
Services at Severn Beach are all terminating services from , operated by 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....
using mainly Pacer units. Monday to Friday, three trains per hour run from Temple Meads to , with one extended to and Severn Beach, giving a service roughly every two hours, the first arriving around 6am and the last departing Severn Beach about 11pm. On Saturdays more trains continue, with either a replacement bus service or train each hour, with more trains in the evening. Sunday sees only two services.
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 Severn Beach they are;
- CCTV
- Help and information points
- Public address system
- Relocating/Replacing shelter
- Bus pull-in
- Fence derelict land