Aldermaston railway station is a railway station named after the village of Aldermaston

Aldermaston

Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...

 in the county of Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The station is in the nearby settlement of Aldermaston Wharf

Aldermaston Wharf

Aldermaston Wharf is a small settlement situated north-northwest of Aldermaston in the West Berkshire district, part of the English county of Berkshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and Great Western Railway pass through it and Aldermaston railway station and Aldermaston Lock are located here. The A4...

 and approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north from Aldermaston village. It was opened on December 21, 1847.

Description

Aldermaston station lies between the A4 road and the settlement of Aldermaston Wharf. There is a flanking platform on each side of the double track line. Each platform has its own independent road access and car park, together with a small shelter. The two platforms are also linked by a footbridge. The Newbury bound platform is flanked on its offside by a siding

Rail siding

A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...

, used as a headshunt

Headshunt

A headshunt is a short length of track, provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines.- Terminal Headshunts :...

 for access to a nearby freight facility.

History

The station was built by the Berks and Hants Railway, part of the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 and stayed with that company after the Grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 of 1923. The line then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways

Western Region of British Railways

The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...

 on nationalisation in 1948.

When Sectorisation

British Rail brand names

British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....

 was introduced, the station was served by Network SouthEast

Network SouthEast

Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...

 although trains of the Intercity Sector

InterCity (British Rail)

InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....

 passed on the Reading to Taunton Line

Reading to Taunton line

The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....

 which uses the Berks and Hants to Westbury

Westbury railway station

Westbury railway station serves the town of Westbury, Wiltshire, England. The station is managed by First Great Western.The station is a major junction, serving the Reading to Plymouth Line with services to and from Penzance and London Paddington, the Wessex Main Line with services to and from...

 for some long distance services. This continued
until the Privatisation of British Rail

Privatisation of British Rail

The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...

ways.

Services

The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western

First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....

 from Reading

Reading railway station

Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...

 to Newbury

Newbury railway station

Newbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...

 and Bedwyn

Bedwyn railway station

Bedwyn railway station is a railway station in the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England. It is also, along with , a station for the market town of Marlborough away...

. Trains run hourly in both directions on Mondays to Saturdays, and on Sundays service is approx every 2 hours. Typical journey times are approximately 15 minutes to Reading and 16 minutes to Newbury. Passengers for London Paddington must normally change trains at Reading.

External links