Rail services in the West of England explained

Rail services in the West of England refer to passenger rail journeys made in the Bristol commuter area. 17 million passenger rail journeys were made in 2019-20 within the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath region.[1]

Services in the West of England

CrossCountry (XC)

Great Western Railway (GWR)

South Western Railway (SWR)

Main destinations

There is usually a direct weekday service from Bristol Parkway & Bristol Temple Meads to these destinations:

DestinationTime from
Bristol
Temple Meads
Time from
Bristol
Parkway
Operator(s)
Avonmouth23 – 35 minutesN/AGWR
Bath Spa11 – 19 minutes28 – 47 minutesGWR
Bristol Parkway8 – 21 minutesN/ACrossCountry / GWR
Bristol Temple MeadsN/A9 – 20 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
Birmingham New Street83 – 122 minutes 71 – 93 minutesCrossCountry
Cardiff Central47 – 63 minutes35 – 66 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
38 – 68 minutes29 – 57 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
393 – 399 minutes CrossCountry
56 – 112 minutes69–109 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
461 – 471 minutes456–464 minutesCrossCountry
Gloucester38 – 57 minutes26–44 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
Leeds210 – 217 minutes202–215 minutesCrossCountry
London Paddington97 – 152 minutes83–106 minutesGWR
Manchester Piccadilly179 – 180 minutes 168–169 minutesCrossCountry
Newcastle299 – 303 minutes 289 - 293 minutesCrossCountry
Newport30 – 47 minutes21–23 minutesGWR
97 – 145 minutes118 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
236 – 292 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
Plymouth114 – 167 minutes CrossCountry / GWR
146 – 164 minutesN/AGWR
68 – 123 minutes59 minutesGWR
68 – 86 minutesGWR
Severn Beach33 – 38 minutesN/AGWR
167 – 172 minutes159 minutesCrossCountry
99 – 116 minutesGWR
Swansea80 - 85 minutesGWR
Swindon35 – 50 minutes28 minutesGWR
Taunton30 – 75 minutes42–49 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
37 – 50 minutes68–75 minutesGWR
17 – 39 minutes47 minutesCrossCountry / GWR
141 – 148 minutes167–170 minutesGWR
Worcester Shrub Hill90 – 102 minutes82–84 minutesGWR
240 – 243 minutes CrossCountry

Stations

Current stations

StationLine(s)PlatformsUsage 08/09 [2] Usage 09/10 [3] Usage 10/11 [4] Usage 11/12 [5] Usage 12/13 [6] Usage 13/14 [7] Usage 14/15 [8] Usage 15/16 [9] Usage 16/17 [10] Usage 17/18 [11] Image
AvonmouthSevern Beach2 61,948 68,448 83,674 88,642 97,880 111,440 119,924 129,860
BedminsterBristol to Exeter3 58,690 69,898 70,006 76,420 80,262 83,242 87,542 92,868
Bristol ParkwayCross Country
South Wales
4 2,084,200 2,041,548 2,114,876 2,262,000 2,255,298 2,215,810 2,340,506 2,511,016
Bristol Temple MeadsBristol to Exeter
Cross Country
Great Western
Heart of Wessex
Severn Beach
Wessex
13 7,829,628 7,875,686 8,409,340 8,884,626 9,099,368 9,522,840 10,099,526 10,711,464
Clifton DownSevern Beach2 281,876 361,828 433,088 470,980 522,010 573,770 619,766 672,386
Filton Abbey WoodCross Country4 536,958 598,032 679,270 771,344 852,250 988,734 1,007,780 1,021,550
KeynshamGreat Western
Heart of Wessex
Wessex
2249,842 278,850 306,276 329,274 358,186 412,602 424,032
Lawrence HillCross Country
Severn Beach
2 67,338 74,876 93,600 102,964 124,878 136,316 150,774 157,912
MontpelierSevern Beach Line1 84,834 96,114 122,212 126,316 121,294 130,560 122,146
Nailsea & BackwellBristol to Exeter2450,510 476,618
Parson StreetBristol to Exeter2 46,670 57,374 68,840 77,720 87,932 102,654 114,458 126,636
PatchwaySouth Wales Main Line2 45,280 49,812 59,474 67,422 82,198 90,404 92,540 98,296
PilningSouth Wales Main Line1 130 166 178 146 130 88 68 46
Portway Park & RideSevern Beach Line1
RedlandSevern Beach Line1 86,234 86,426 92,966 96,904 94,984 93,176 105,610 99,732
Sea MillsSevern Beach Line1 36,358 41,680 49,082 51,998 58,310 58,106 64,512 61,696
Severn BeachSevern Beach Line1 74,712 88,504 141,712 167,078 195,824 225,658 260,784
ShirehamptonSevern Beach Line1 34,292 35,758 42,566 43,480 50,564 51,542 52,480 56,756
St Andrews RoadSevern Beach Line1 3,582 3,942 4,328 6,072 9,910 13,376 11,184 7,374
Stapleton RoadCross Country Route
Severn Beach Line
2 103,576 111,532129,344 140,390 157,294 178,114 179,872
YateCross Country Route2294,934 307,148 328,832 354,004 368,910

Heritage stations

This is a list of stations currently open on heritages line.

StationLinePlatformsYear ClosedYear Reopened Image
Avon RiversideAvon Valley Railway1N/A2004
BittonAvon Valley Railway219661972
Oldland CommonAvon Valley Railway119661991

Proposed stations

This is a list of proposed railway stations in the West of England. (This list includes some former stations)

StationLinePlatformsYear closedCurrent statusImage
Ashley DownCross Country Route21964 (as Ashley Hill)Under construction
Ashton GatePortishead Railway11964/1984Proposed to reopen
CharfieldCross Country21965Proposed to reopen
Chittening PlatformHenbury Loop11964Proposed to reopen
Long AshtonBristol to Exeter21941Proposed to reopen
HenburyHenbury Loop21965Proposed to reopen
HorfieldCross Country Route21964Proposed to reopen
North FiltonHenbury Loop11986Planning application
PillPortishead Railway21964Proposed to reopen
PortisheadPortishead Railway21964Proposed to reopen
Great Western Main Line21970Proposed to reopen
Great Western Main Line21970Proposed to reopen

Former stations

This is a list of former stations in the West of England area.

StationLinePlatformsYear ClosedImage
Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
Bristol and North Somerset Railway11963
Charlton HaltHenbury Loop21915
Portishead Branch21965
South Wales Main Line
Cross Country Route
21961
Severn Beach Line11964
Cross Country Route1903
Cross Country Route1996
Bristol and Gloucester Railway21966
HallenHenbury Loop21918
Ham GreenPortishead Branch11964
HorfieldCross Country Route21964
Bristol Port Railway and Pier21921
Bristol Port Railway and Pier11922
Mangotsfield Branch Line21949
Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
61966
Severn Beach Line11964
Severn Beach Line1886
Portishead Railway11932
PortburyPortishead Branch11962
St Philip'sBristol and Gloucester Railway11967
Staple HillBristol and Gloucester Railway21966
ThornburyThornbury Branch11944
Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line21966
WickwarCross Country21965
WinterbourneCross Country
South Wales
21963
Bristol and North Somerset Railway11959

Railway lines

There are six railway lines running through Bristol.

Bristol to Exeter line

See main article: article and Bristol to Exeter line. The Bristol to Exeter line runs between Bristol and Exeter via the Nailsea, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater and Taunton. It is served by local First Great Western services, and used by Cross-Country and Intercity trains headed towards Plymouth.

Cross-Country Route

See main article: article and Cross-Country route. The North-East/South-West route (sometimes simply The Cross-Country Route) is the major British rail route running from South West England or Cardiff via Bristol, Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield to North-East England and Scotland. It includes some of the longest inter-city rail journeys in the UK, e.g. Penzance to Aberdeen. It remains a major freight route, although now largely usurped by the M5, M6 and M1 motorways.

The route shares parts of the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line, Sheffield to Hull Line, the East Coast Main Line and the core Cardiff-Bristol-Birmingham-Derby route.

In November 2018 tracks were doubled from Bristol Temple Meads through Lawrence Hill to Filton Abbey Wood stations to increase capacity, back to the original four tracks.[12]

Great Western Main Line

See main article: article and Great Western Main Line. The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads station in Bristol.

Severn Beach Line

See main article: article and Severn Beach Line. The route runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach via Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road before reaching terminus at Severn Beach. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes.

Following a successful campaign by FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway), the Severn Beach Line is going to have an increased frequency from December 2007 to March 2010.[13] It is hoped this will pave the way for better services across the conurbation. An additional train will operate on the line meaning services should be at the least every 40 mins.

South Wales Main Line

See main article: article and South Wales Main Line. The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. It diverges from the main line at Wootton Bassett near Swindon, first calling at Bristol Parkway, after which the line continues through the Severn Tunnel into South Wales.

Wessex Main Line

See main article: article and Wessex Main Line. The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.

Proposed light rail or rapid transit

See main article: article and Light rail in Bristol.

In November 2016, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potential light rail/tram routes from the city centre to Bristol Airport, the eastern and north west fringes of the city, and a route along the A4 road to Bath.[14] By 2017, this proposal had changed to a mass transit network with potential for underground sections, linking the city centre with the northern and eastern fringes of the city and the airport.

Train operators

Current train operators

OperatorYearsImageMajor services
CrossCountry2007–2019
  • Bristol to
  • and the south west to and Scotland
Great Western Railway (GWR)1996–2020

Former train operators

OperatorYearsImageServices
Post-nationalisation
British Rail1948–1986All services
Post-sectorisation
InterCity1986–1996
Regional Railways1986–1996All non-InterCity services
Post-privatisation
South West Trains2004–2017
South Western Railway (SWR)2017-2021
Virgin CrossCountry1997–2007
  • Bristol to
  • and the south west to and Scotland
Wales & Borders2001–2003
Wales & West1997–2001
Wessex Trains2001–2006 All local and non-express inter-city services.

There have also been a number of other companies pre-nationalisation, including:

MetroWest

See main article: article and MetroWest (Bristol).

MetroWest is a current initiative in the West of England area to improve local rail services by reopening disused rail lines and stations and improving existing services. Phase One includes reopening the Portishead railway line to passenger traffic and improving services to the Severn Beach Line and Bath Spa. Phase Two will see the Henbury railway line reopen, along with half-hourly services between Weston-super-Mare and Yate. The phases are due to open in 2019[15] and 2021[16] respectively.

The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership also produced a Key Principles Report in November 2015 discussing future potential transport projects for the West of England region, including new rail transit based options referred to as MetroWest++. The options outlined include reopening the Thornbury Branch Line, a Yate to Bath route, the use of tram train technology, a link to the city centre and a connection to Bristol Airport.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Regional Rail Usage 2019-20 - ORR Data Portal. orr.gov.uk. 25 February 2021. 20 April 2021.
  2. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  3. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  4. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  5. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  6. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  7. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  8. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  9. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  10. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  11. Web site: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal.
  12. News: Bristol railway line shut until mid-November for upgrade . BBC News . 27 October 2018 . 27 October 2018.
  13. Web site: The Lib dem Council Cabinet have amended their budget to provide an extra train on the Severn Beach line from December 2007 - . 2007-07-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080210092903/http://www.fosbr.org.uk/Victory.htm . 10 February 2008 . dmy-all . Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway
  14. Web site: West of England Joint Transport Study - Transport Vision Summary Document. 16 November 2016. 17 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117144458/https://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk/gf2.ti/-/757442/23234053.1/PDF/-/Joint_Transport_Study__Transport_Vision.pdf. dead.
  15. Web site: MetroWest: Phase 1.
  16. Web site: MetroWest: Phase 2.
  17. Web site: Issues and Options for Consultation. Key Principles Report. West of England Joint Transport Study. 12 July 2016.