Clifton Bridge railway station
Clifton Bridge | |
---|---|
City of Bristol England | |
Coordinates | 51°26′48″N 2°37′33″W / 51.44677°N 2.62573°W |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Key dates | |
18 April 1867 | Opened |
15 September 1880 | Second platform added |
March 1891 | Renamed as Rownham[note 1] |
1910 | Renamed as Clifton Bridge[note 1] |
7 September 1964 | Closed to passengers |
5 July 1965 | Closed to goods |
Clifton Bridge railway station is a former railway station in the
Passenger services at the station declined following the
History
Clifton Bridge railway station was opened on 18 April 1867 by the
When it opened, the station had a single platform, on the west side of the track. Road access was through a large forecourt to the west from Clanage Road / Rownham Hill, now the A369. There was a two-storey building facing the road, the ground floor of which had a single long room, partitioned into a waiting room, booking office and station master's office. The ground floor also housed a coal-fired boiler and washing facilities, while upstairs was spacious living accommodation accessed by a private staircase.[2] A single north-facing bay platform for goods vans was at the north end of the station.[1][6] The station was noted as having an excellent garden alongside the platform. The nearby Rownham Ferry allowed passengers to cross the river to Hotwells and Clifton.[2] Services on the Portishead railway were operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, with six trains per day in each direction on weekdays and one on Sundays. The operation of these transferred to the Great Western in 1876, when they took over the Bristol and Exeter, and in 1884 the Great Western took ownership of the Bristol and Portishead.[1][6][7] The station was visited by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1878.[2]
The station saw major works at the beginning of the 1880s. From 24 to 27 January 1880, the line was relaid as 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
In June 1914, the station played a major role in bringing passengers to the
After the war, services increased, and from 8 July 1929 a half-hourly service operated along the line: two trains per hour to Portishead, one to Ashton Gate and one to Bristol Temple Meads, equating to 21 trains per day on weekdays.[1][6] On Sundays eight trains per day operated. There were eight staff assigned to the station in the 1930s, and in 1944 three carriage sidings were laid at the south end of the station.[6]
The Portishead line again saw a rise in use during the
When the railways were
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bristol Temple Meads | Bristol and Exeter Railway Portishead Railway (1867–1871) |
Pill (Line open, station closed) | ||
Bedminster | Bristol and Exeter Railway Portishead Railway (1871–1876) |
|||
Great Western Railway Portishead Railway (1876–1906) |
||||
Ashton Gate (Line open, station closed) |
Great Western Railway Portishead Railway (1906–1926) |
|||
Great Western Railway Portishead Railway (1926–1928) |
Ham Green Halt (Line open, station closed) | |||
Great Western Railway Portishead Railway (1928–1932) |
Nightingale Valley Halt (Line open, station closed) | |||
Great Western Railway Portishead Railway (1932–1947) |
Ham Green Halt (Line open, station closed) | |||
Western Region of British Railways Portishead Branch Line (1948–1964) |
Future
The Portishead Branch Line is to be reopened as part of the MetroWest scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area.[11][12][13] The scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government.[13] A consultation on the plans was held between 22 June and 3 August 2015 to gather views from the community and stakeholders before moving on to detailed designs. Due to the additional capital costs, the line will not be electrified, but the design will include passive provision for future electrification. The station at Clifton Bridge is not being considered for reopening, but the line in the area will be increased to double track. Subject to final business case approval, construction work is expected to start on the line in December 2021 and then take around two years to complete.[14]
Trains along the reopened line will operate between Portishead and
Notes
- ^ a b c Although Oakley[2] states that the station was renamed from Clifton Bridge to Rownham and back again, Butt's book on stations[8] does not acknowledge this change.
- Bristol to Exeter line and Portishead Railway was known as Portishead Junction until 1932, after which it was known as Parson Street Junction.[1]
- ^ The location of the terminal pier is an estimate.[3]
- ^ Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to the mile.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-948975-22-9.
- ^ ISBN 1-904537-54-5.
- ^ a b Deaves, Phil. "Engineers' Line References: POD Portishead Branch". Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Engineers' Line References: MLN1 Paddington to North Road Junction". Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Six Inch map - Gloucestershire LXXV.NE". Ordnance Survey. 1905. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ ISBN 1-904474-18-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84674-057-2.
- OL 11956311M.
- ^ "History of Bower Ashton". 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ "Clifton Rugby Football Club History: Edward Payne Press". Clifton Rugby Football Club History. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ White, James (13 March 2009). "Item 04: Greater Bristol Metro" (PDF). West of England Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Campaign for trains from Bristol Temple Meads every half hour". This is Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ The Post, Bristol. Northcliffe Media. Archived from the originalon 8 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ Wilson, Kate (26 June 2019). "Plans to reopen Bristol to Portishead railway ready to be submitted and line could open in 2023". Bristol Live.
- ^ "Consultation on re-opening the Portishead branch line as part of MetroWest Phase 1" (PDF). MetroWest. TravelWest. June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2015.
- ^ "The Great Western Railway is back in business". Railnews. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- BBC. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.[refnote 1]
- ^ "Updated franchise schedule signals GW extension". Railnews. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.[refnote 1]
Notes to references:
- ^ a b Note that these references refer to First Great Western, which was rebranded as Great Western Railway in 2015.[16]