Worle railway station

Worle
Location
Place Worle
Local authority North Somerset
Operations
Station code WOR
Managed by First Great Western
Number of platforms 2
Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 * 79,254
2004/05 * 93,989
2005/06 * 107,233
2006/07 * 118,399
2007/08 * 138,564
2008/09 * 171,622
History
Original company British Rail
Opened 1990
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Worle from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Worle railway station serves Worle in North Somerset, England. The station is 16 miles (26 km) south east of Bristol Temple Meads on the Bristol to Taunton Line.

It is close to the junction of the M5 motorway and A370 road. Worle is a suburb of Weston-super-Mare and the station has a large car park so that it can serve as a Park and Ride facility.

History

This is the fourth railway station to be provided for Worle. The first station was opened on 14 June 1841 a little further east. It was originally named 'Banwell Road' but this was changed to 'Worle' on 3 August 1869.[1]

On 1 March 1884 the Weston Loop Line was opened and a new 'Worle' station provided on this, just west of the new Worle Junction. This station closed on 1 January 1922 so the original station, which had been known as 'Puxton' during this time, was renamed "Puxton and Worle". It finally closed on 6 April 1964.[2]

The current "Worle" station was opened on 24 September 1990.[3] A large car park was provided and some offices were built alongside the station at the time of opening. These are known as "Worle Parkway", a name sometimes mistakenly also used for the station. Being located close to the M5 motorway and A370 road, it has been suggested on several occasions that it would be sensible to extend the platforms so that longer trains could call.

There was also a "Worle Town" station situated much closer to the High Street but only served by the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway from 1897 to 1940.[2]

Services

The station is managed and all trains are operated by First Great Western. The basic train service comprises two trains in each direction each hour. One train is the Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare service that calls at all stations; the second is the faster Cardiff Central to Taunton service.

Due to its short platforms, long express trains do not call very often, however there are a few High Speed Trains to and from London Paddington which do call at Worle.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Yatton   First Great Western
Bristol to Taunton Line
  Weston Milton

References

  1. ^ MacDermot, ET (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, Vol. 2 1863 - 1921. London: Great Western Railway. 
  2. ^ a b Oakley, Mike (2002). Somerset Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 1-904349-09-9. 
  3. ^ Railways in Avon, a short history of their development and decline 1832 - 1982. Bristol: Avon County Planning Department. 1983. ISBN 0-86063-184-2.