Severn Beach railway station

Severn Beach railway station serves the village of Severn Beach, England. This is the terminus of the Severn Beach Line.

This station is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line. The station is managed by First Great Western, who are also the sole provider of trains serving the station.

History

The railway reached Severn Beach in 1900, but was at first used only for goods traffic to Pilning. A platform was built beside the line at Severn Beach by the Great Western Railway in 1922, and a bay platform added to the west for excursion traffic, with terminating passenger services from Bristol starting on 26 May 1924, subsequently extended to Pilning in a loop back to Bristol via Patchway from 9 July 1928.^[1] By 1924 a brick concourse had been built perpendicular to the bay platform, providing a ticket office, the station master's office, toilets and a ladies' waiting room. The station master and keeper of the level crossing were also provided with houses, while to the east of the platform were sidings, primarily for stabling of excursion trains.

By the 1950s, passenger traffic at Severn Beach was declining, and in November 1964 through services to Pilning ceased,^[2] with the line north closed completely in July 1968, although goods traffic at severn Beach had already ended in 1963.^[1]

More recently, services to Severn Beach have been cut back further, with only one in three trains to Avonmouth now continuing on to Severn Beach. The concourse and other station buildings have been demolished, replaced with a small metal and glass shelter, while the eastern rails have been pulled up, leaving just the bay platform remaining. Half of the 220 metres (240 yd) is cordoned off, and that which remains dwarfs the two-car diesel multiple units which use it. To the east, the land once used for sidings has become overgrown and a dumping ground for litter and general detritus.

Service

Services at Severn Beach are all terminating services from Bristol Temple Meads, operated by First Great Western using mainly Class 143 Pacer units. Monday to Friday, three trains per hour run from Temple Meads to Avonmouth, with one extended to St Andrew's Road and Severn Beach, giving a service roughly every two hours, the first arriving around 6am and the last departing Severn Beach about 11pm. On Saturdays more trains continue, with either a replacement bus service or train each hour, with more trains in the evening. Sunday sees only two services.^[3]

Proposed Changes

In March 2007 First Great Western, published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years,^[4] at Severn Beach they are;

• CCTV
• Help and information points
• Public address system
• Relocating/Replacing shelter
• Bus pull-in
• Fence derelict land

References