Lydney railway station
Encyclopedia
Lydney railway station is a railway station serving the town of Lydney
in Gloucestershire
, England
. It is located on the Gloucester-Newport line
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
, with an hourly Maesteg/Cardiff Central-Cheltenham Spa service (although there are a couple of gaps during the middle of the day). Most Arriva Trains Wales services now extend beyond Cardiff Central to Maesteg via Bridgend
CrossCountry
also serve the station as part of their Cardiff Central
to Nottingham
route. There are six trains a day per direction, which calls Mondays - Saturdays only.
The station is located a mile south of Lydney, and was originally called Lydney Junction. There is an interchange with the heritage
Dean Forest Railway
.
station, which is the one that remains open as Lydney railway station, opened in 1851 on the Gloucester to Chepstow section of the South Wales Railway
. To the west of this station, the freight-only line of the Severn and Wye Mineral Railway
crossed the GWR line on its north-south route taking coal and iron from the Forest of Dean to the docks at Lydney.
In 1875, the Severn and Wye started passenger services and built a new terminus station at Lydney Junction for passenger trains to and from Drybrook, near Cinderford
. Four years later, this first station was superseded by a new one as the Severn and Wye joined with the Midland Railway
in building the Severn Bridge Railway
, which linked Lydney across the river Severn
with the Midland's Sharpness Branch Line
, enabling access for the Forest of Dean minerals to the new and more extensive docks at Sharpness
.
The new Lydney Junction (Severn and Wye) station was linked by a long footbridge to the GWR's station. There were also extensive freight yards in the north-east quadrant between the two lines, and these provided the only rail link between the Severn and Wye and the Great Western lines. The two stations worked closely together, particularly after 1894, when the Severn and Wye Railway was bought by the Great Western and the Midland. Finally, in 1955, under British Railways, the two stations were formally merged into one.
Lydney Junction (Severn and Wye) was used as a through-station for passenger services to and from Berkeley Road railway station
and over the Severn Railway Bridge
. These services either terminated at Lydney Town railway station
, which was in the centre of Lydney, or continued on northwards into the Forest of Dean to terminate at Lydbrook Junction
on the Ross to Monmouth line. These services ceased abruptly in October 1960 when the Severn Railway Bridge was damaged beyond economic repair in a shipping accident. Passenger services were officially withdrawn from this Lydney Junction in November 1964 and it remained closed until reopening by the Dean Forest Railway in 1995.
The other Lydney Junction, then renamed Lydney, lost its freight services in 1968 and its staffing in 1969, and the Great Western buildings on the platforms were demolished, though the signalbox remains.
on 23 March 2011 when a fault with the automatic barriers caused a northbound CrossCountry
service to pass over the crossing at 60 mile per hour while the gates were raised (although the traffic lights were red).
|colspan=5|Interchange with Lydney Junction
on the Dean Forest Railway
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 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 is located on the Gloucester-Newport line
Gloucester to Newport Line
The Gloucester to Newport Line is a railway line that runs along the bank of the River Severn in the United Kingdom from Gloucester to Newport....
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
, with an hourly Maesteg/Cardiff Central-Cheltenham Spa service (although there are a couple of gaps during the middle of the day). Most Arriva Trains Wales services now extend beyond Cardiff Central to Maesteg via Bridgend
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
also serve the station as part of their Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central may refer to:Politics*Cardiff Central *Cardiff Central Transport*Cardiff Central railway station*Cardiff Central bus stationGeography*Cardiff City CentreBuildings...
to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
route. There are six trains a day per direction, which calls Mondays - Saturdays only.
The station is located a mile south of Lydney, and was originally called Lydney Junction. There is an interchange with the heritage
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
Dean Forest Railway
Dean Forest Railway
The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...
.
History
Lydney Junction was the name of two separate but adjacent stations on two different railway lines. The Great Western RailwayGreat 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...
station, which is the one that remains open as Lydney railway station, opened in 1851 on the Gloucester to Chepstow section of the South Wales Railway
South Wales Railway
The South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...
. To the west of this station, the freight-only line of the Severn and Wye Mineral Railway
Severn and Wye Railway
The Severn and Wye Railway was a small railway network in west Gloucestershire that was constructed to allow exploitation of the mineral resources of the Forest of Dean. The Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company began construction of the tramway and the Lydney Canal in 1810. In 1868 the tramway...
crossed the GWR line on its north-south route taking coal and iron from the Forest of Dean to the docks at Lydney.
In 1875, the Severn and Wye started passenger services and built a new terminus station at Lydney Junction for passenger trains to and from Drybrook, near Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
. Four years later, this first station was superseded by a new one as the Severn and Wye joined with the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in building the Severn Bridge Railway
Severn Bridge Railway
The Severn Bridge Railway was an early British railway company. It ran from Berkeley Road railway station to Sharpness railway station via the Sharpness Branch Line. It then went over the River Severn on the Severn Railway Bridge and to Lydney Junction railway station. It was opened in 1879 as a...
, which linked Lydney across the river Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
with the Midland's Sharpness Branch Line
Sharpness Branch Line
The Sharpness Branch Line was a railway in Gloucestershire, England, built by the Midland Railway to connect the port of Sharpness to the main Bristol and Gloucester Railway...
, enabling access for the Forest of Dean minerals to the new and more extensive docks at Sharpness
Sharpness
Sharpness is an English port in Gloucestershire, one of the most inland in Britain, and eighth largest in the South West. It is on the River Severn at , at a point where the tidal range, though less than at Avonmouth downstream , is still large .The village of Sharpness is pronounced with the...
.
The new Lydney Junction (Severn and Wye) station was linked by a long footbridge to the GWR's station. There were also extensive freight yards in the north-east quadrant between the two lines, and these provided the only rail link between the Severn and Wye and the Great Western lines. The two stations worked closely together, particularly after 1894, when the Severn and Wye Railway was bought by the Great Western and the Midland. Finally, in 1955, under British Railways, the two stations were formally merged into one.
Lydney Junction (Severn and Wye) was used as a through-station for passenger services to and from Berkeley Road railway station
Berkeley Road railway station
Berkeley Road railway station served the towns of Berkeley and Dursley in Gloucestershire, England.-History:The station was one of the first six stations built on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the...
and over the Severn Railway Bridge
Severn Railway Bridge
The Severn Railway Bridge was a crossing across the River Severn between Sharpness and Lydney, Gloucestershire. It was badly damaged in an accident involving river barges in 1960 and demolished in 1970.-Construction:...
. These services either terminated at Lydney Town railway station
Lydney Town railway station
Lydney Town railway station is a railway station on the Dean Forest Railway in Lydney in Gloucestershire. It is located a few metres from the High Street which a level crossing runs over on the Norchard end.-History:...
, which was in the centre of Lydney, or continued on northwards into the Forest of Dean to terminate at Lydbrook Junction
Lydbrook Junction railway station
Lydbrook Junction railway station is a disused railway station opened by the Ross and Monmouth Railway in 1873, it remained open for 91 years until 1964 when the line finally closed to freight, though passenger services ceased in 1959. The station was constructed in the hamlet of Stowfield...
on the Ross to Monmouth line. These services ceased abruptly in October 1960 when the Severn Railway Bridge was damaged beyond economic repair in a shipping accident. Passenger services were officially withdrawn from this Lydney Junction in November 1964 and it remained closed until reopening by the Dean Forest Railway in 1995.
The other Lydney Junction, then renamed Lydney, lost its freight services in 1968 and its staffing in 1969, and the Great Western buildings on the platforms were demolished, though the signalbox remains.
Incidents
An incident occurred at the station's level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
on 23 March 2011 when a fault with the automatic barriers caused a northbound CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
service to pass over the crossing at 60 mile per hour while the gates were raised (although the traffic lights were red).
External links
|-|colspan=5|Interchange with Lydney Junction
Lydney Junction railway station
Lydney Junction railway station is a railway station near Lydney in Gloucestershire. The station is now the southern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway...
on the Dean Forest Railway
Dean Forest Railway
The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...