Filton Abbey Wood railway station

Coordinates: 51°30′18″N 2°33′45″W / 51.5049°N 2.5624°W / 51.5049; -2.5624
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Filton Abbey Wood
National Rail
View from the south
General information
LocationFilton, South Gloucestershire
England
Coordinates51°30′18″N 2°33′45″W / 51.5049°N 2.5624°W / 51.5049; -2.5624
Grid referenceST609784
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms4
Other information
Station codeFIT
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyBristol and South Wales Union Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1863Opened as Filton
1903[note 1]Resited
1910Renamed Filton Junction
1968Renamed Filton
1996Resited and renamed Filton Abbey Wood
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.902 million
2019/20Increase 0.976 million
2020/21Decrease 0.116 million
2021/22Increase 0.385 million
2022/23Increase 0.521 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Filton Abbey Wood railway station serves the town of Filton in South Gloucestershire, England; it is located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. There are four platforms but minimal facilities. The station is managed by Great Western Railway that operates all services that call here. The general service level is eight trains per hour: two to South Wales, two to Bristol Parkway, two toward Weston-super-Mare and two toward Westbury.

Filton Abbey Wood is the third station on the site. The first station, Filton, was opened in 1863 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. The station had a single platform, with a second added in 1886 to cope with traffic from the Severn Tunnel. The station was closed in 1903, replaced by a new station, Filton Junction, 0.15 miles (0.24 km) further north, which was built at the junction with the newly constructed Badminton Line from Wootton Bassett Junction. The new station had four platforms, each with waiting rooms and large canopies.

Services at Filton Junction declined in the second half of the twentieth century, with the station buildings and Badminton Line platforms demolished in 1976. The station was closed completely in September 1996, replaced by the current station, Filton Abbey Wood. This was built 0.3 miles (0.48 km) south of the original station, adjacent to the new

MoD Abbey Wood
, which was opened in 1996. The station was built with two platforms, but a third was added in 2004 and a fourth in 2018.

The line through Filton Abbey Wood is not electrified. Platform 4 was completed in 2018 as part of the Filton Bank four-tracking project, allowing increased services between Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads.

History

There have been three different stations in the area of Filton Abbey Wood. The first, Filton, opened in 1863 just north the site of the current Filton Abbey Wood, and was closed in 1903.[note 1] A second station was opened a few hundred yards to the north, and was known as Filton Junction.[1] This station closed in 1996, replaced by Filton Abbey Wood.[2][4]

First station: Filton

The first station at Filton opened on 8 September 1863 when services began on the

standard gauge.[3] Although the line made travel from Bristol to Wales easier, the change from train to ferry to train was inconvenient, and so a tunnel was built under the River Severn. To cope with the anticipated increase in demand, the line through Filton was doubled,[3] with a new platform built on the eastern side of the new track, complete with waiting room. The new track was first used on 1 September 1886 when the Severn Tunnel opened. The station continued in use until 1 July 1903, when it was closed and replaced by a new station 11 chains (0.22 km) further north.[note 1] There is no trace remaining of the original station.[2]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Patchway   Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
(1863-1864)
  Stapleton Road
  Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
(1864-1868)
  Ashley Hill
Line open, station closed.
  Great Western Railway
Bristol and South Wales Union Line
(1868-1903)[note 1]
 

Second station: Filton Junction

A train for Wales passes through Filton Junction in 1962.
A train passes through Filton in 1972, working a Wales-Bristol service. The line off to the left is the Henbury Loop Line.
The large station building on the west side in 1977.
Filton Junction railway station in 1992, after the demolition of the buildings.
The station as it stands today, seen from a passing train.

In 1900, almost all trains from London to Wales travelled via

London Paddington via the new line.[5][note 2]

The new station had four platform faces - two outer platforms, and two inner platforms sharing an island between the southbound line from Patchway and the westbound line to London. The western platforms served trains between Bristol and Wales, while the eastern platforms served trains on the new line. The platforms were linked by a subway which led to the booking office, situated on ground level by the main entrance on the east side of the station.

Signal Box, which controlled the junction and by 1948 had more than 70 levers.[9]

Following the opening of the

Filton Aerodrome and the attendant aircraft works.[2]

When the railways were

Beeching Report, the Henbury Line was closed to passengers in 1964, and service levels began to decline. The line between Pilning and Severn Beach was also closed, putting an end to loop services. The goods yard was closed in July 1965, and the station's name reverted to Filton from 6 May 1968. Much of the station buildings were demolished in 1976, as were the platforms serving Badminton Line trains, as no trains on this line called at Filton anymore. The remaining two platforms had small replacement shelters built on them.[2]

In 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into effect, the southern part of Gloucestershire, including the district of Filton, became part of the new county of Avon.[12] British Rail was split into business-led sectors in the 1980s, at which time operations at Filton passed to Regional Railways.[13]

In the 1990s, plans were made to build a new station in Filton and close the 1903 station. The last train called on 8 March 1996, with services moving to the new Filton Abbey Wood from 11 March, with two intervening days of no service due to a closure of the Severn Tunnel. The remains of Filton Junction can still be seen from passing trains, and the two western platforms are still present, albeit overgrown. The subway has been blocked off, and the access road is now a residential street called "The Sidings".[2]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Patchway   Great Western Railway
Bristol and South Wales Union Line
(1903-1927)[note 1]
  Ashley Hill
Line open, station closed.
  Great Western Railway
Bristol and South Wales Union Line
(1927-1948)
  Horfield
Line open, station closed.
  Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1948-1964)
 
  Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1948-1964)
  Stapleton Road
  Regional Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1982–1996)
 
Winterbourne
Line open, station closed.
  Great Western Railway
South Wales Main Line
(1903-1927)
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
(1908-1927)
  Ashley Hill
Line open, station closed.
  Great Western Railway
South Wales Main Line
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
(1927-1948)
  Horfield
Line open, station closed.
  Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
Cross Country Route
(1948-1961)
 
Swindon   Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1961-1964)
 
Yate   Western Region of British Railways
Cross Country Route
(1961-1964)
 
Swindon   Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1964-1972)
  Stapleton Road
Yate   Western Region of British Railways
Cross Country Route
(1964-1965)
 
Cheltenham Spa   Western Region of British Railways
Cross Country Route
(1965-1972)
 
Bristol Parkway   Western Region of British Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1972-1982)
 
  Regional Railways
South Wales Main Line
Cross Country Route
(1982–1996)
 
Filton Halt

Line closed to passengers.
  Great Western Railway
Henbury Loop Line
(1910-1915)
  Ashley Hill
Line open, station closed.
Henbury
Line closed to passengers.
  Great Western Railway
Henbury Loop Line
(1915-1926)
 
North Filton Platform
Line closed to passengers.
  Great Western Railway
Henbury Loop Line
(1926-1927)
 
  Great Western Railway
Henbury Loop Line
(1927-1948)
  Horfield
Line open, station closed.
  Western Region of British Railways
Henbury Loop Line
(1948-1964)
 

Third station: Filton Abbey Wood

Snowy conditions in 2010, showing the three platforms, with the newest platform on the right.
MoD Abbey Wood
, which is next to the station.
Platform 4 which was added in 2018

In the early 1990s, the

MP and the Chair of Avon County Council.[2] Shortly after the station was opened, the county of Avon was disbanded, with the Filton region now governed by South Gloucestershire council.[14]

The new station was situated 23 chains (460 m) south of the first Filton station, and 34 chains (680 m) south of Filton Junction.[5][note 2] There were two platforms, each 108 metres (118 yd) long, separated by two running lines.[15] A ramped footbridge connected the platforms at the north end, and each platform had ground-level access from the sides: the eastern, southbound platform from MoD Abbey Wood; the western, northbound platform via a footpath from the car park to the north. There were metal and glass shelters on each platform and a small, rarely used booking office on the southbound platform.[2]

Initial services at the station included local stopping services from Bristol to South Wales, and services between Gloucester and Westbury. Services towards Bath were of particular importance to the MoD, as many of their staff had been based there prior to the construction of MoD Abbey Wood.[2] South Gloucestershire council provided a subsidy for half-hourly services to Bath.[16] The station proved popular with MoD workers, local residents commuting into central Bristol, and also students and staff at the University of the West of England.[2]

When the railway was

Severn Beach Line services to allow longer-distance services to use it as a diversion.[21]

The Wessex franchise was amalgamated with the Great Western franchise into the

A three-week closure of the line and station in late October & early/mid November 2018 saw all trains replaced by buses between Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads and on the Severn Beach branch whilst the four track layout between Dr Day's Junction and Filton Junction was reinstated, also bringing a new fourth platform at Filton Abbey Wood into use and short extensions to the southern ends of the other three platforms to fully accommodate 5 carriage 23 metre vehicle trains.

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Bristol Parkway   Regional Railways
Cross Country Route
(1996–1997)
  Stapleton Road
  Wales & West
Cross Country Route
(1997–2001)
 
  Wessex Trains
Cross Country Route
(2001–2006)
 
Patchway   Regional Railways
South Wales Main Line
(1996–1997)
  Stapleton Road
  Wales & West
South Wales Main Line
(1997–2001)
 
  Wessex Trains
South Wales Main Line
(2001–2006)
 
Patchway   Virgin CrossCountry
Cardiff - Newcastle
(2006-2007)
  Bristol Temple Meads

Location

A view from the footbridge.

Filton Abbey Wood railway station is located in the

London Paddington (via Bristol Parkway).[5][15][note 2] The station is just north of Filton South Junction, where the northbound line to South Wales and the westbound line to Avonmouth split from the line to Bristol Parkway, and just south of Filton Junction No. 1, where the southbound lines from South Wales and Parkway converge.[34][15] The next station south is Stapleton Road, the next station north is Patchway, and the next station east is Bristol Parkway.[34]

Facilities

Facilities at the station are minimal - there are metal and glass shelters on each platform, and some seating. A small ticket office operates on platform 1 on weekday afternoons, there is also a machine for buying tickets but the station is generally unstaffed. There are customer help points, giving next train information for all platforms, as well as dot-matrix displays showing the next trains on each platform. A small pay and display car park with 30 spaces is to the north of the station, as are racks for eight bicycles. CCTV cameras are in operation at the station.[33]

Passenger volume

Over the decade 2002–2012, passenger numbers at Filton Abbey Wood almost doubled, from 395,000 to 771,000.[35][36][note 3] In the 2006/07 financial year, over 50,000 passengers used Filton Abbey Wood to travel to or from Bristol Temple Meads.[37]

Platform layout

Services typically use the following platforms:[38]

Platform 1 - Services heading towards Bristol Temple Meads from Bristol Parkway
Platform 2 - Services heading towards Bristol Parkway from Bristol Temple Meads
Platform 3 - Services heading towards Bristol Temple Meads from Cardiff Central
Platform 4 - Services heading towards Cardiff Central from Bristol Temple Meads

Services

Most services at Filton Abbey Wood are provided by Great Western Railway using diesel multiple units such as this Class 165.

Filton Abbey Wood is managed by

London Paddington calls at Filton Abbey Wood in the morning, continuing to Swansea, but there are no direct services to London.[42] CrossCountry
services pass through the station, but do not stop.

The local services described above are formed using

diesel multiple units.[43][10][44] The London to Swansea service is operated by Class 800s or Class 802s.[42]

The standard journey time to Bristol Temple Meads is 8 minutes, to Bristol Parkway is 4 minutes, and to Cardiff Central is 50 minutes.[39][41]

On weekdays only, a Parliamentary service also travels via Bristol West Curve, avoiding Bristol Temple Meads. It departs at 15:59 and stops next at Keynsham.[45]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Bristol Parkway   Great Western Railway
Bristol Parkway - Weston-super-Mare
Great Malvern/Gloucester - Westbury/Weymouth
Bristol West Curve - Limited service
  Stapleton Road
    Bristol Temple Meads or Keynsham
(Once per day service to Keynsham)
Patchway   Great Western Railway
Cardiff Central - Taunton
  Stapleton Road
(Northbound only, limited service)
    Bristol Temple Meads
Newport   Great Western Railway
Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour
  Bristol Temple Meads
  Great Western Railway
London to Swansea
(Northbound only, limited service)
 
Patchway   CrossCountry
Cardiff Central - Manchester Piccadilly
(Limited service)
  Bristol Temple Meads

Future

The line through Filton Abbey Wood was due to have been electrified by 2017 as part of the Great Western Main Line electrification project, however this has been postponed indefinitely.

MP for Weston-super-Mare John Penrose.[53][54] The electrification scheme also included the four-tracking of the line through Filton to allow more services between Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads and to separate fast inter-city services from local stopping services, which was completed in November 2018.[55][56][57] A fourth platform has been added in November 2018 as part of the project.[58][59]

Filton Abbey Wood is on the

Greater Bristol Metro, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. The plan will also see the reopening of the Henbury Loop Line and the opening of a new station at Ashley Hill between Filton and Stapleton Road.[60][61][62]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f There is some ambiguity about exactly when the first Filton railway station closed and the second opened. Butt's 1995 book[1] states 1886, but Oakley[2] and Maggs[3] both state 1903. 1903 would tie in with the new station being built as a junction for the GWR's Badminton Line, whereas 1886 would mean an entirely new station was built only months after the original station had a second platform built.
  2. ^ a b c d Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to the mile.
  3. ^ Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Filton Abbey Wood, from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

See also

  • Rail services in Bristol

References

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  6. ^ MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863–1921. London: Great Western Railway.
  7. .
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  10. ^ a b Salveson, Paul (June 2012). Abell, Paul (ed.). "Severn Beach: Not your typical branch line!". Today's Railways UK (126). Sheffield: Platform 5: 42–47.
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  12. ^ Young, Robert. "CIVIC HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND WALES-OBSOLETE COUNTIES: AVON". CivicHeraldry. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
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  59. ^ "Preparations continue for Bristol resignalling" Rail issue 848 14 March 2018 page 29
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External links