Kemble railway station

Coordinates: 51°40′34″N 2°01′23″W / 51.676°N 2.023°W / 51.676; -2.023
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kemble
National Rail
Kemble Station
General information
LocationKemble, Gloucestershire
England
Coordinates51°40′34″N 2°01′23″W / 51.676°N 2.023°W / 51.676; -2.023
Grid referenceST985975
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeKEM
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1882Opened
1964Tetbury branch closed
1964Cirencester branch closed
Passengers
2019/20Increase 0.409 million
2020/21Decrease 66,188
2021/22Increase 0.259 million
2022/23Increase 0.353 million
2023/24Increase 0.400 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Kemble railway station is a

Paddington.[1] Despite its rural location, Kemble station has a high number of passengers, due mainly to the proximity of Cirencester
.

History

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) as an exchange station on 12 May 1845 with the line opening from Swindon to Gloucester. Only on 1 May 1882 did it become a public station replacing the nearby Tetbury Road.[2]

The distance between the platforms and the large clearance between the remaining running lines is a legacy from when Kemble first opened because it originally accommodated Brunel's 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm)

standard gauge
tracks in 1892.

Until the 1960s the station was a junction, with services to the nearby market towns of

The Reshaping of British Railways
, the first day without service being 6 April 1964.

British Rail reduced the line to Swindon to single track in 1968 but the second track was reinstated in 2014.

Stationmasters

  • Jeremiah Greenaway ca. 1869 – 1900[3]
  • John William Boyd 1900[4] - 1922[5] (formerly station master at Tetbury)
  • G. Evans 1922 – 1929[6] (formerly station master at Purton)
  • M.E. Waters until 1935[7] (also station master at Cirencester Town, afterwards station master at Cirencester Town)
  • C. Feldwick. 1935 – 1942[8] (afterwards station master at Cirencester Town)
  • Walter John Butt Watts from 1942 (formerly station master at Brimscombe)

Description

The station has two platforms in use. The former Tetbury bound platform remains but the track has been lifted. The building on the down platform (no. 2) has been out of use for several years, containing toilets and a waiting room, which are still in situ. On the former Cirencester platform, a short stub of track remains for the occasional stabling of track machines. This ends at a buffer stop just before the station car park. In 2013,

Cotswold District Council refused an application by Network Rail to demolish part of the Grade II listed Cirencester bay platform in connection with the redoubling of the line from Swindon.[9] According to the Council, the platform was still in a good state of repair and any public benefit from the demolition would not outweigh the damage that would be caused to the historical significance of the station.[9] The station has a ticket office and a small café. The limestone bridge, at the south end of the station, was Grade II listed from 5 November 2015[10] and the station[11] and water tank from 27 February 1986.[12]

  • Diesel-hauled Up stopping train in 1962
    Diesel-hauled Up stopping train in 1962
  • Station entrance
    Station entrance
  • Signals at Kemble Station
    Signals at Kemble Station
  • The former Cirencester platform, June 2009
    The former Cirencester platform, June 2009
  • Station platforms looking north-west. The old Cirencester line branches to the right.
    Station platforms looking north-west. The old Cirencester line branches to the right.
  • The Grade II listed water tank
    The Grade II listed water tank

Services

Great Western Railway operate all services at Kemble using mainly Class 800 bi-mode trains.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[13]

The station is also served by limited services extending beyond Cheltenham Spa to Worcester Shrub Hill. There is also a limited service to/from Westbury via the Wessex Main Line.

The station is occasionally served by trains to and from Cardiff Central and Swansea during periods of engineering work.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Golden Valley Line
  Historical railways  
Tetbury Road
Line open, station closed 		  Great Western Railway
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway 		  Minety and Ashton Keynes
Line open, station closed
Terminus     Oaksey Halt
Line open, station closed
Disused railways
Park Leaze Halt
Line and station closed 		 
Cirencester Branch Line
   Terminus
Jackament's Bridge Halt
Line and station closed 		  Great Western Railway
Tetbury branch line 		  Terminus

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2
    .
  2. ^ Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain. p. 229.
  3. ^ "Presentation to the Retiring Kemble Stationmaster". Cheltenham Chronicle. England. 19 May 1900. Retrieved 23 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "1835–1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 681. 1835. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Presentation to Mr. J.W. Boyd". Gloucester Citizen. England. 12 June 1922. Retrieved 23 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Kemble Stationmaster's Retirement". Gloucester Journal. England. 6 July 1929. Retrieved 23 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "G.W.R. Staff Changes". Cheltenham Chronicle. England. 6 July 1935. Retrieved 23 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Mr. M.E. Waters". Cheltenham Chronicle. England. 7 November 1942. Retrieved 23 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ a b Milner, Chris (August 2013). "Platform demolition refused". The Railway Magazine. 159 (1, 348): 89.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Railway bridge approximately 110m south of Kemble Station, Kemble (1429827)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  11. ^ Historic England. "KEMBLE STATION, Kemble (1304289)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  12. ^ Historic England. "WATER TANK ON WEST PLATFORM OF KEMBLE STATION, Kemble (1089288)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  13. ^ "December 2019 Timetable Changes". Great Western Railway, December 2019.
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