Warminster railway station
Encyclopedia
Warminster railway station serves the town of Warminster
, in Wiltshire
, England.
The station is operated by First Great Western
and is a main station on the Wessex Main Line
with regular services to Bristol
, Cardiff
, Southampton
and Portsmouth
, as well as a limited service to and from Bristol and London Waterloo each weekday.
on 9 September 1851 as the terminus of its branch from Westbury on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth
route. The branch was extended to Salisbury
on 30 June 1856. The station was originally provided with a train shed
covering the tracks and platforms, but this was removed around 1930 when the current canopies were erected in its place. The original wooden buildings were retained and are still in use today.
(FGW) service in each direction from the station, westbound to , and , and eastbound to and . There are also a few additional stopping trains between Bristol and Southampton and some short-distance services that start or terminate here.
On Sundays the FGW service is also hourly each way.
Three South West Trains
services each weekday operate to/from London Waterloo via , along with a fourth to and from Salisbury.
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
, in 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 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 a main station on the Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
with regular services to Bristol
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...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, as well as a limited service to and from Bristol and London Waterloo each weekday.
History
The station was opened by 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...
on 9 September 1851 as the terminus of its branch from Westbury on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
route. The branch was extended to Salisbury
Salisbury railway station
Salisbury is a railway station serving the city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. Located southwest of London Waterloo, the station is the crossing point of the West of England Main Line and the Wessex Main Line...
on 30 June 1856. The station was originally provided with a train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
covering the tracks and platforms, but this was removed around 1930 when the current canopies were erected in its place. The original wooden buildings were retained and are still in use today.
Services
There is a basic hourly 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....
(FGW) service in each direction from the station, westbound to , and , and eastbound to and . There are also a few additional stopping trains between Bristol and Southampton and some short-distance services that start or terminate here.
On Sundays the FGW service is also hourly each way.
Three South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
services each weekday operate to/from London Waterloo via , along with a fourth to and from Salisbury.