Bedminster railway station
Encyclopedia
Bedminster railway station is on the Bristol to Taunton Line and serves the suburb of Bedminster in Bristol
, England
. It also serves the area of Windmill Hill
.
was opened on 14 June 1841. The local station was initially called Ashton but had been moved and then renamed Bedminster by 27 May 1884, when a new station was opened 250 yards further away from Bristol Temple Meads station
. It was now on an elevated section of line with an entrance from Windmill Hill which passed beneath the railway, and was extended in 1908 to allow access to the platforms from the other end too.
The original line had just been two tracks, but on 30 April 1932 a much larger station was brought into use, now serving four tracks from two island platforms. From north to south the tracks were the Up Relief and Up Main (towards Temple Meads), Down Main and Down Relief. New station buildings were provided on both platforms but have since been swept away and replaced by basic waiting shelters.
A coal yard was provided here but goods traffic at Bedminster ceased on 1 June 1964 and staff were removed from the station in September 1968. To the east of the station was Pylle Hill Goods Depot and to the west was Malago Vale Carriage Sidings; a carriage washing machine was provided on a loop off the Down Relief line to allow carriages to be cleaned during their journey to Malago. These sidings have now closed but the Down Relief and loop are still in place as far as Bedminster to allow for short-term storage of trains away from Temple Meads.
. The platform
on the north side is generally used for trains towards Bristol Temple Meads
and Bristol Parkway
. Most use Platform 2 which is alongside the main line, but trains running on the Relief line use the opposite side, Platform 3.
With the Bristol Area Resignalling Scheme in the 1970s the local signal box
was removed, the Down Relief converted to a Down Carriage Line and the Up Main signalled for reversible running between Bedminster and Temple Meads. This means that down trains can leave Temple Meads "wrong line" and is often used to allow late running fast trains to overtake stopping trains at Bedminster, which means that passengers waiting on Platform 1 for trains towards Weston-super-Mare sometimes have to hurry through the subway when their train appears on the "wrong" platform, Platform 2.
. The basic pattern of trains is an hourly train calling at all stations between Bristol Parkway
and Weston-super-Mare
. There are also peak hour services from Cardiff
to Taunton
.
There is a two-hourly service (approximately) each way on Sundays.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
. It also serves the area of Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill, Bristol
Windmill Hill is situated in the south of the city of Bristol and is often referred to as being part of Bedminster. It is a predominantly residential location, and became popular in the 1990s and 2000s with students, artists and environmentalists, often sharing rented accommodation...
.
History
The Bristol and Exeter RailwayBristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
was opened on 14 June 1841. The local station was initially called Ashton but had been moved and then renamed Bedminster by 27 May 1884, when a new station was opened 250 yards further away from Bristol Temple Meads station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
. It was now on an elevated section of line with an entrance from Windmill Hill which passed beneath the railway, and was extended in 1908 to allow access to the platforms from the other end too.
The original line had just been two tracks, but on 30 April 1932 a much larger station was brought into use, now serving four tracks from two island platforms. From north to south the tracks were the Up Relief and Up Main (towards Temple Meads), Down Main and Down Relief. New station buildings were provided on both platforms but have since been swept away and replaced by basic waiting shelters.
A coal yard was provided here but goods traffic at Bedminster ceased on 1 June 1964 and staff were removed from the station in September 1968. To the east of the station was Pylle Hill Goods Depot and to the west was Malago Vale Carriage Sidings; a carriage washing machine was provided on a loop off the Down Relief line to allow carriages to be cleaned during their journey to Malago. These sidings have now closed but the Down Relief and loop are still in place as far as Bedminster to allow for short-term storage of trains away from Temple Meads.
Description
The station is unstaffed but despite this is decorated by murals throughout the entrance area and subway and has an automated customer information system and a payphone. It consists of two island platforms. That on the south side only uses one side for passenger trains; this is Platform 1 and is only used for trains towards Weston-super-MareWeston-super-Mare railway station
Weston-super-Mare railway station serves the town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is situated on a loop off the main Bristol to Taunton Line....
. The platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
on the north side is generally used for trains towards Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
and Bristol Parkway
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
. Most use Platform 2 which is alongside the main line, but trains running on the Relief line use the opposite side, Platform 3.
With the Bristol Area Resignalling Scheme in the 1970s the local signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was removed, the Down Relief converted to a Down Carriage Line and the Up Main signalled for reversible running between Bedminster and Temple Meads. This means that down trains can leave Temple Meads "wrong line" and is often used to allow late running fast trains to overtake stopping trains at Bedminster, which means that passengers waiting on Platform 1 for trains towards Weston-super-Mare sometimes have to hurry through the subway when their train appears on the "wrong" platform, Platform 2.
Services
This station and all trains serving it are operated by First Great WesternFirst 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....
. The basic pattern of trains is an hourly train calling at all stations between Bristol Parkway
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
and Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare railway station
Weston-super-Mare railway station serves the town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is situated on a loop off the main Bristol to Taunton Line....
. There are also peak hour services from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
.
There is a two-hourly service (approximately) each way on Sundays.