Newbury railway station
Encyclopedia
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
. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western
from to Newbury and , and by inter-city trains operated by First Great Western from to the West Country
.The station was once a junction with the north-south Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
. It was also the southern terminus of the Lambourn Valley Railway.
to Hungerford
. Newbury was an important junction on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
(DN&SR), the first section of which opened between Didcot
and Newbury in 1881. The route to Winchester
was then opened in 1885 but it was not until 1891 that a route to Southampton
was completed. However, the route did not include the planned independent Southampton terminus and instead used the terminus owned by the London and South Western Railway
.
In 1898 the Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR) was opened which ran from the west of the station to Lambourn
, north-west of Newbury. Trains to Lambourn started from the bay on the north platform at its western end.
, goods yard and two bay platforms. However, the expansion of the DN&SR and the later opening of the LVR created a bottleneck in Newbury, especially for express trains on the Reading to Plymouth line.
Between 1908 and 1910 the station was rebuilt to extend the platforms and create two loops to ensure trains stopping at the station did not block the line for express and freight trains. Red brick was used for the new station buildings which are still in use today. A new footbridge was built across the station.
The expansion also included the building of two signal boxes, one at each end of the station. It was possible to hear the bells in these boxes ringing from a point mid-way along the main platforms. Access to the yard became possible from the Down and Up through lines and the main Up (north) platform.
British Rail
ways (BR) withdrew LVR passenger services on 4 January 1960, but freight services continued to serve RAF Welford
into the 1970s. When the United States Air Force
decided it no longer needed to use the rail link it handed control back to BR in 1973. One last passenger special operated on the line in November of that year before the line was totally closed and the track later lifted.
As a result of the closure of the LVR the bay platform on the north side at the western end of the station was no longer needed and the track was removed. The bay on the south side remained in use into the 1970s for recessing local trains to Bedwyn until a "down" express had passed. The south bay was later removed when the station was resignalled and the track layout altered to allow down expresses to serve the north side platform. Both west end bays are now car parks. The sole east end bay on the north side of the line is maintained for use for eastbound passenger services starting at Newbury. Locally it is still called "the Compton bay" because of its original purpose on the DN&SR.
. After the sectorisation of British Rail
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East and was also a stop on the InterCity network
. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
and First Great Western until the franchises merged.
The north (Up) platform has provision for trains to call in either direction. This facility is not frequently used in the current timetable except during periods of severe line congestion to avoid delays, however, it was not uncommon for Down trains to call on this platform in the past. The signalling also allows for the station to continue operating when the south (Down) platform is closed for any reason.
To the east of the station there is a siding on the Up line. It is still commonly used for storing engineering units. Local services sometimes use it to allow passengers wishing to travel to intervening stations to connect from inter-city services.
Also to the east of the station, on the Down line is a loop which also runs through Newbury Racecourse railway station
which is used regularly as a passing point by freight trains and also by local services in the same way as the sidings on the north side. This loop is also used by local services calling at Newbury Racecourse during race days. Special chartered trains hauled by steam locomotives often use the loop to take on water because it has good road access although the Down platform in Newbury station can also be used for this purpose. All trains that pass through the loop must continue through the loop for the Down platform to rejoin the mainline.
The station is now signalled with colour light signals controlled from Thames Valley Signalling Centre, located at Didcot.
Some of the station buildings are now let as office space.
Newbury station is located close to the office of West Berkshire Council
and the bus station. Some bus services leave from the entrance to the south platform, including a bus service to the Vodafone
headquarters.
. Newbury is served by regular high speed services from London Paddington to the West Country
on the Reading to Taunton Line
. Local trains from London Paddington to Bedwyn call at Newbury and a service from Reading terminates in the bay on Platform 3.
All InterCity 125
trains from Paddington terminating at , and call at Newbury.
These services are summarised as follows.
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, 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 was opened on 21 December 1847 by 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...
. 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 to Newbury and , and by inter-city trains operated by First Great Western from to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
.The station was once a junction with the north-south Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
. It was also the southern terminus of the Lambourn Valley Railway.
Line opening
Newbury station was opened on 21 December 1847 as part of the Berks and Hants Railway from Reading, BerkshireReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
to Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
. Newbury was an important junction on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
(DN&SR), the first section of which opened between Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
and Newbury in 1881. The route to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
was then opened in 1885 but it was not until 1891 that a route to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
was completed. However, the route did not include the planned independent Southampton terminus and instead used the terminus owned by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
.
In 1898 the Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR) was opened which ran from the west of the station to Lambourn
Lambourn
Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt racehorse training....
, north-west of Newbury. Trains to Lambourn started from the bay on the north platform at its western end.
Station expansion
By 1890 Newbury was an important station and junction. There were two lines through the station covered by an overall roof, plus a footbridge, turntableTurntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
, goods yard and two bay platforms. However, the expansion of the DN&SR and the later opening of the LVR created a bottleneck in Newbury, especially for express trains on the Reading to Plymouth line.
Between 1908 and 1910 the station was rebuilt to extend the platforms and create two loops to ensure trains stopping at the station did not block the line for express and freight trains. Red brick was used for the new station buildings which are still in use today. A new footbridge was built across the station.
The expansion also included the building of two signal boxes, one at each end of the station. It was possible to hear the bells in these boxes ringing from a point mid-way along the main platforms. Access to the yard became possible from the Down and Up through lines and the main Up (north) platform.
Line closures
The 1960s saw the closure of both the DN&SR and the LVR due to declining passenger and freight traffic on both lines. The last passenger train to use the DN&SR ran in May 1964, a rerouted express train resulting from a derailment at . The tracks were lifted in 1967.British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways (BR) withdrew LVR passenger services on 4 January 1960, but freight services continued to serve RAF Welford
RAF Welford
RAF Welford is an active Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northwest of Newbury; about west-southwest of London...
into the 1970s. When the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
decided it no longer needed to use the rail link it handed control back to BR in 1973. One last passenger special operated on the line in November of that year before the line was totally closed and the track later lifted.
As a result of the closure of the LVR the bay platform on the north side at the western end of the station was no longer needed and the track was removed. The bay on the south side remained in use into the 1970s for recessing local trains to Bedwyn until a "down" express had passed. The south bay was later removed when the station was resignalled and the track layout altered to allow down expresses to serve the north side platform. Both west end bays are now car parks. The sole east end bay on the north side of the line is maintained for use for eastbound passenger services starting at Newbury. Locally it is still called "the Compton bay" because of its original purpose on the DN&SR.
Service history
The station was part of the Great Western Railway until Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
. After the sectorisation of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East and was also a stop on the InterCity network
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
Thames Trains
Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...
and First Great Western until the franchises merged.
Station layout
The current station has two through platforms, both on loops off the main line, leaving two through tracks running through the middle of the station. There is also a bay platform on the north east side for short trains to and from Reading. These parts of the station layout have all survived from the expansion of the station in 1908.The north (Up) platform has provision for trains to call in either direction. This facility is not frequently used in the current timetable except during periods of severe line congestion to avoid delays, however, it was not uncommon for Down trains to call on this platform in the past. The signalling also allows for the station to continue operating when the south (Down) platform is closed for any reason.
To the east of the station there is a siding on the Up line. It is still commonly used for storing engineering units. Local services sometimes use it to allow passengers wishing to travel to intervening stations to connect from inter-city services.
Newbury Racecourse railway station
Newbury Racecourse railway station is a railway station serving the East Fields area of the town of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 September 1905. The station is next to Newbury Racecourse and handles heavy traffic and additional trains on race days...
which is used regularly as a passing point by freight trains and also by local services in the same way as the sidings on the north side. This loop is also used by local services calling at Newbury Racecourse during race days. Special chartered trains hauled by steam locomotives often use the loop to take on water because it has good road access although the Down platform in Newbury station can also be used for this purpose. All trains that pass through the loop must continue through the loop for the Down platform to rejoin the mainline.
The station is now signalled with colour light signals controlled from Thames Valley Signalling Centre, located at Didcot.
Station facilities
Newbury station is operated by First Great Western. The station's facilities include a staffed ticket office open on weekdays and weekends; car parks on both sides of the station; covered bicycle storage; taxi rank; toilets and a shop on Platform 2 and waiting rooms on both main platforms.Some of the station buildings are now let as office space.
Newbury station is located close to the office of West Berkshire Council
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
and the bus station. Some bus services leave from the entrance to the south platform, including a bus service to the Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
headquarters.
Services
All train services to Newbury 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....
. Newbury is served by regular high speed services from London Paddington to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
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....
. Local trains from London Paddington to Bedwyn call at Newbury and a service from Reading terminates in the bay on Platform 3.
All InterCity 125
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
trains from Paddington terminating at , and call at Newbury.
These services are summarised as follows.