Ashley Hill railway station explained

Ashley Hill
Status:Disused
Borough:Ashley Down, City of Bristol
Country:England
Coordinates:51.4783°N -2.5768°W
Original:Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
Pregroup:Great Western Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Years:13 June 1864[1]
Events:Station opens
Years1:23 November 1964
Events1:Station closes
Years2:2024
Events2:planned reopening

Ashley Hill railway station was a railway station serving the area of Ashley Down in the north of Bristol, England. It was located on what is now known as Filton Bank. It was served by stopping trains to Severn Beach (via Pilning), Avonmouth (via Chittening) and Swindon (via Badminton).The West of England Combined Authority plan to open a new train station, to be called Ashley Down, on the site of Ashley Hill station, in 2024.

History

The station was opened in 1864 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway, which was absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1868. The station passed to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.

The site today

In 2001 the station was selected to be reopened as Ashley Down and used as a stop for the proposed Bristol Supertram project. This was planned to operate as a 30-minute service between Broadmead Shopping Centre and North Bristol, but the project was cancelled in 2004. Construction on the new station as part of the National Rail network started in March 2023.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Railway Passenger Stations by M.Quick page 57
  2. News: 2023-03-07 . New Ashley Down railway station construction gets under way . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-06-06.