Swindon railway station
Encyclopedia
Swindon railway station is in the town of Swindon
, Wiltshire
, England. The station entrance is on Station Road, to the south of the line.
It is approximately 200 metres (218.7 yd) from the central bus station and the town centre. It is served by First Great Western
services from London Paddington
to Bristol Temple Meads, and the rest of South Wales
.
Swindon is a major junction, where the former Great Western Railway
line to Gloucester and Cheltenham, the Great Western Main Line
to Bristol Temple Meads and the Great Western Railway
route to Bristol Parkway and South Wales diverge.
With the railway passing through the town in early 1841, the Goddard Arms public house in Old Swindon was used as a railway booking office in lieu of a station. Tickets purchased included the fare for a horse-drawn carriage
to the line at the bottom of the hill.
Swindon railway station opened in 1842 with construction of the Great Western Railway's engineering works
continuing. Until 1895, every train stopped here for at least 10 minutes to change locomotives. Swindon station hosted the first recorded railway refreshment rooms, divided according to class. Swindonian
s, for a time, were eminently proud that even the current King and Queen of the time had partaken of refreshments there. The station in 1842 was built of three storey
s, with the refreshment rooms on the ground floor, the upper floors comprising the station hotel and lounge. Until 1961, when Swindon Town station
closed, the station was known as Swindon Junction.
The building was demolished in 1972, with today's modern station and office block erected on the site.
Ticket barriers are in the main entrance subway and at the foot of the access stairs, adjacent to the Research Council
buildings on the north side of the line. The barriers are in place to prevent access to the platforms without a valid ticket. Unfortunately the barriers mean that the station is no longer a through route across the line.
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The station has a half hourly service to both Bristol and Cardiff westbound on the main lines, with hourly extensions (and peak extras) to on the latter. These combine to give four trains each hour to Reading and London throughout the day, with a fifth service every second hour from Gloucester. Some westbound Bristol trains continue onwards to or to Taunton, Exeter & Plymouth, whilst there is a single through train each day to via Swansea.
There is a basic hourly service on the Golden Valley Line
to Gloucester & , with alternate trains running to/from London. There are also two trains per day from here to via (which continue to on Mondays to Fridays only).
On Sundays, the service is hourly on both main line routes, either hourly or two-hourly to Cheltenham depending on the time of day and a single train to and from Westbury.
Network Rail has plans to redouble the track between Swindon and Kemble in order to improve rail services between Cheltenham/Gloucester and London. When originally laid in 1842 the line was double-track throughout, however some 12+1/4 mi of the second track were removed in 1968/69. , the Office of Rail Regulation was receiving submissions to restore this project (previously omitted) to Network Rail's plans for 2009-2014. The project cost was estimated at £50.2m and received backing from the South West Development Agency and others but stalled when it was left out of the new Coalition Government's Spending Review in October 2010. The project still has strong support from local MPs who are continuing to lobby DfT Ministers.
On 1 March 2011, Philip Hammond MP, the UK Coalition Government's Secretary of State for Transport announced that he had resumed plans for electrifying the Great Western main line west from Didcot through Swindon to Bristol and Cardiff at a planned cost of £704m. The DfT's statement confirms that new electric trains would be procured from Hitachi, manufactured in a new factory in the North East, in the related £4.5bn InterCity Express Programme (IEP). The electrification project had first been announced by the previous Labour Government's Transport Secretary, Lord Andrew Adonis, on 23 July 2009.
Go! Cooperative
, an open access train company, has proposed a train route between Yeovil Pen Mill and Birmingham Moor Street. This would connect Swindon, and Birmingham without having to change trains at Bristol
or Didcot Parkway. GOCO's aspirations were to commence services by 2011 and it is now refining plans for a core 2-hourly service between Westbury and Oxford.
In February 2011, Wiltshire County Council and Wessex Chamber of Commerce jointly commissioned Network Rail to evaluate construction of a new station at Wootton Bassett, west of Swindon, to serve the Interface Business Park. The station would be built on the site of the previous station which closed in 1965.
The East West Rail Link has proposed plans connecting the Great Western Main Line
, West Coast Main Line
and the East Coast Main Line
. The journey would connect / via to Oxford and Didcot with optional routes to Bristol via Swindon. Before the plans can come to fruition, a replacement alignment would be needed between Bedford and Cambridge. From May 2011 Chiltern Railways
will take over the franchise for the line between Oxford and Bicester, which would form part of the route, prior to upgrading for a new Oxford - High Wycombe - London Marylebone station
service.
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...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England. The station entrance is on Station Road, to the south of the line.
It is approximately 200 metres (218.7 yd) from the central bus station and the town centre. It is served 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....
services from London Paddington
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
to Bristol Temple Meads, and the rest of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
Swindon is a major junction, where the former 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...
line to Gloucester and Cheltenham, the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
to Bristol Temple Meads and 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...
route to Bristol Parkway and South Wales diverge.
History
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
to the line at the bottom of the hill.
Swindon railway station opened in 1842 with construction of the Great Western Railway's engineering works
Swindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
continuing. Until 1895, every train stopped here for at least 10 minutes to change locomotives. Swindon station hosted the first recorded railway refreshment rooms, divided according to class. Swindonian
Swindonian
Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire, England; its residents are called Swindonians and many have achieved notability throughout its history:* Dean Ashton - Premiership footballer playing for West Ham United. Born in Swindon* Ralph Bates - writer.* Mark A...
s, for a time, were eminently proud that even the current King and Queen of the time had partaken of refreshments there. The station in 1842 was built of three storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
s, with the refreshment rooms on the ground floor, the upper floors comprising the station hotel and lounge. Until 1961, when Swindon Town station
Swindon Town railway station
Swindon Town railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway at Swindon in Wiltshire. The station was sited in the Old Town area about one-and-a-half miles from the Great Western Railway's Swindon Junction.- History :...
closed, the station was known as Swindon Junction.
The building was demolished in 1972, with today's modern station and office block erected on the site.
Awards
- 2004 - Station Excellence of the Year Award won. The year-old Platform 4 had saved hundreds of minutes of passenger time as it removed a bottleneck at the station.
- 2005 - Staff at the station received an internal award First for Service for their outstanding customer treatment.
Description
The station consists of an island platform containing a buffet, small shop and waiting room. Adjacent to the main entrance is a booking office. Access to the platforms is through a subway and stairs or lifts. Platform 4 opened in 2003 on the location of the former parcels siding to improve operational flexibility. It contains a coffee shop and waiting room.Ticket barriers are in the main entrance subway and at the foot of the access stairs, adjacent to the Research Council
Research Council
The UK Research Councils, of which there are currently seven, are publicly-funded agencies responsible for co-ordinating and funding particular areas of research, including the arts, humanities, all areas of science and engineering...
buildings on the north side of the line. The barriers are in place to prevent access to the platforms without a valid ticket. Unfortunately the barriers mean that the station is no longer a through route across the line.
Services
There is a basic hourly service on the Golden Valley Line
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...
to Gloucester & , with alternate trains running to/from London. There are also two trains per day from here to via (which continue to on Mondays to Fridays only).
On Sundays, the service is hourly on both main line routes, either hourly or two-hourly to Cheltenham depending on the time of day and a single train to and from Westbury.
Future plans
It was announced in December 2005 that stations in the Thames Valley region were to be upgraded. Proposed improvements to Swindon station were new waiting facilities, toilets and refreshment facilities, more car parking spaces, ticket machines and help desks.Network Rail has plans to redouble the track between Swindon and Kemble in order to improve rail services between Cheltenham/Gloucester and London. When originally laid in 1842 the line was double-track throughout, however some 12+1/4 mi of the second track were removed in 1968/69. , the Office of Rail Regulation was receiving submissions to restore this project (previously omitted) to Network Rail's plans for 2009-2014. The project cost was estimated at £50.2m and received backing from the South West Development Agency and others but stalled when it was left out of the new Coalition Government's Spending Review in October 2010. The project still has strong support from local MPs who are continuing to lobby DfT Ministers.
On 1 March 2011, Philip Hammond MP, the UK Coalition Government's Secretary of State for Transport announced that he had resumed plans for electrifying the Great Western main line west from Didcot through Swindon to Bristol and Cardiff at a planned cost of £704m. The DfT's statement confirms that new electric trains would be procured from Hitachi, manufactured in a new factory in the North East, in the related £4.5bn InterCity Express Programme (IEP). The electrification project had first been announced by the previous Labour Government's Transport Secretary, Lord Andrew Adonis, on 23 July 2009.
Go! Cooperative
Go! Cooperative
Go! Cooperative Ltd, now trading as GOCO, is an open access UK Train Operating Company which is currently proposing to operate a service between Yeovil and Birmingham, via Oxford...
, an open access train company, has proposed a train route between Yeovil Pen Mill and Birmingham Moor Street. This would connect Swindon, and Birmingham without having to change trains at Bristol
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...
or Didcot Parkway. GOCO's aspirations were to commence services by 2011 and it is now refining plans for a core 2-hourly service between Westbury and Oxford.
In February 2011, Wiltshire County Council and Wessex Chamber of Commerce jointly commissioned Network Rail to evaluate construction of a new station at Wootton Bassett, west of Swindon, to serve the Interface Business Park. The station would be built on the site of the previous station which closed in 1965.
The East West Rail Link has proposed plans connecting the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
, West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. The journey would connect / via to Oxford and Didcot with optional routes to Bristol via Swindon. Before the plans can come to fruition, a replacement alignment would be needed between Bedford and Cambridge. From May 2011 Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
will take over the franchise for the line between Oxford and Bicester, which would form part of the route, prior to upgrading for a new Oxford - High Wycombe - London Marylebone station
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
service.