Henbury railway station explained

Henbury
Status:Disused
Borough:Henbury, Bristol
Country:England
Coordinates:51.515°N -2.6251°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Great Western Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Western Region of British Railways
Years:9 May 1910
Events:Opened
Years1:22 March 1915
Events1:Closed
Years2:10 July 1922
Events2:Reopened
Years3:23 November 1964
Events3:Closed to passengers
Years4:5 July 1965
Events4:Closed to goods

Henbury railway station served the Bristol suburb of Henbury, England, from 1910 to 1965.[1] The station was situated on the Henbury Loop Line of the Great Western Railway and was opened on 9 May 1910 for passenger services. Under the Beeching cuts, it was closed to passengers on 23 November 1964, with goods services ceasing on 5 July 1965. There is a proposal to reopen the station as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme.

History

Opened by the Great Western Railway on 9 May 1910, Henbury station was situated on the Henbury Loop Line which was inaugurated on the same day.[1] The new line formed part of the Great Western's main route to Avonmouth Docks via Stoke Gifford Junction on the South Wales Main Line. Regular passenger services ceased to call at the station between 1915 and 1922, although it appears that unadvertised workmen's services were used by the public to reach the station. In fact, a note in the list of stations issued by the Railway Clearing House in 1921 stated that "Season Ticket and Ordinary Passengers are conveyed". The station was publicly advertised again from 10 July 1922.

Henbury station was listed for closure by the Beeching report and it duly closed to passengers on 23 November 1964, with goods services being withdrawn as from 5 July 1965.

The station's former goods yard was sold at auction in October 2008 by BRB (Residuary) Limited after South Gloucestershire Council had declined to make an offer.[2] [3]

Future

Improved services on the Severn Beach Line are called for as part of the MetroWest scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area.[4] [5] [6] It has been suggested that Henbury railway station be reopened as part of the scheme, with the possibility of services running from Bristol Temple Meads to via and Henbury.[7] The Metro 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.[8] [9]

In January 2018, it was revealed that the reopened station would be on a new site rather than the former site (referred to as Henbury West) due to high costs. The opening date was pencilled in for May 2021,[10] but has been delayed. The new station will be located close to the A4018 with access by foot, cycle, bus and car. It will link in with the Fishpool Hill development proposed by Persimmon, and will be served by an hourly service between Henbury and Bristol Temple Meads. It will be an unstaffed terminus station with one platform and trains will travel eastbound towards Bristol Temple Meads via Filton Abbey Wood, with new stations at North Filton and Ashley Down.[11]

Planning permission for the new station, which is expected to open in 2026, was applied for on 21 August 2023.[12]

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Oakley, Mike . Bristol Railway Stations 1840-2005 . 2006 . Redcliffe . 978-1-904537-54-0 . 70–71.
  2. Web site: Henbury rail loop and the sale of the former goods yard . 2012-07-12 . White . James . 12 December 2008 . PDF . West of England Partnership.
  3. News: Call for better deal on Bristol public transport as station sold to private company . 6 November 2008 . This is Bristol . 2012-07-12 . https://archive.today/20130505073610/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/better-deal-Bristol-public-transport-station-sold-private-company/story-11278068-detail/story.html . 5 May 2013 . dead .
  4. Web site: Item 04: Greater Bristol Metro . James . White . West of England Partnership . 13 March 2009 . 28 December 2011 . 15 May 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110515034151/http://www.westofengland.org/media/98508/item%2004%20greater%20bristol%20metro%2013%20march%202009.pdf . dead .
  5. News: Campaign for trains from Bristol Temple Meads every half hour . This is Bristol . . 17 January 2012 . 19 January 2012.
  6. Web site: Transport Minister hears calls for better Bristol train service. Northcliffe Media. This is Bristol. 17 October 2009. 14 April 2012.
  7. Web site: Our Case. Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways. 15 April 2012.
  8. News: Ribbeck, Michael. Northcliffe Media. The Post, Bristol. 6 July 2012. 6 July 2012. £100 million Bristol Metro train network by 2016.
  9. Web site: MetroWest. TravelWest. 5 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035459/http://travelwest.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/overview-of-metrowest.pdf. 4 March 2016.
  10. Web site: North Bristol to get new rail station as part of Henbury line reopening - Bristol Live.
  11. Web site: North Filton and Henbury train stations . Travelwest . 9 February 2022.
  12. Web site: Ross . Alex . 2023-08-21 . ‘Exciting’ update on brand new railway station for Bristol suburb . 2023-08-21 . Bristol World . en-GB.