Porton railway station explained

Porton
Status:Disused
Borough:Porton, Wiltshire
Country:England
Coordinates:51.1262°N -1.725°W
Platforms:2
Pregroup:London and South Western Railway
Postgroup:Southern Railway
Years:1 May 1857
Events:Opened
Events1:Closed

Porton railway station served the village of Porton, in Wiltshire, England, from 1854 to 1968 on the West of England line.

History

The station was opened on 1 May 1857, along with the line from Andover to Milford. It closed on 9 September 1968.[1] [2] The station was serviced by a goods yard, which closed in 1962.

Between 1916 and 1952 the Porton Military Railway (2 foot gauge) ran between the goods yard at Porton station and the military camp, almost a mile to the northeast.

Proposed reopening

A proposal was made to reopen the station to service the Porton Down science park. However, reopening the station was not seen as economically viable, as it was estimated that the reopening would cost £6m, and would affect the timetables for the line, thus affecting services to the other stations on the line. It was instead decided that a shuttle bus would run in between the science park and Grateley railway station.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Quick, M E. Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. 2002. Railway and Canal Historical Society. Richmond. 238. 931112387.
  2. Book: Oakley. Mike. Wiltshire Railway Stations. 2004. The Dovecote Press. Wimborne. 1904349331. 104.
  3. News: Batten. Roland. 7 March 2007. Porton rail plans reach end of line. Salisbury Journal. 30 March 2022.