Charfield railway station
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Parameter validation".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "check for deprecated parameters". Template:Bristol and Gloucester Railway Line Charfield railway station served the village of Charfield in South Gloucestershire, England. The station was on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the Midland Railway and converted to standard gauge.
History
Charfield station opened with the Bristol and Gloucester line on 8 July 1844 and had substantial Brunel-designed buildings on both platforms. There were sidings to the north and south, and those to the north were converted to loops to allow slow trains to be overtaken by faster trains.
In 1928, the Charfield railway disaster occurred when a southbound night-time mail train overran signals into a goods train manoeuvring into these sidings, and in the collision the mail train was diverted into the path of a northbound freight train. Gas from the mail train ignited and 15 people died in the blaze. According to some accounts, among them were two children whose identity was never established.[1]
Passenger services were withdrawn from Charfield on 4 January 1965[2] with the removal of stopping services on the Bristol to Gloucester line. Goods services were withdrawn on 6 September of the same year. The main station building and the station master's house remain, in residential use.[3]
Proposed reopening
Services between Bristol and Birmingham pass through Charfield. There have been discussions about the viability of reopening the station. The costs would be shared between Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire councils since, although the station would be in South Gloucestershire, the nearby town of Wotton-under-Edge would be a principal beneficiary.
In February 2019, the West of England Combined Authority announced a £500,000 feasibility study into plans for two new bypasses and work to see whether Charfield is viable for reopening to passengers.[4] In June 2019, a further £900,000 was allocated for the production of a full business case for the reopening of the station.[5]
The January 2020 version of the Joint Local Transport Plan 4 (JLTP4, led by the West of England Combined Authority[6]) proposed to deliver by 2023–2024 a "New station at Charfield funded through the WECA Investment Fund, to support housing growth".[7]
In June 2020, Councillor Toby Savage, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, mentioned the possibility of re-opening Charfield station during an announcement of plans for enhanced services between Bristol and Gloucester.[8]
A plan agreed by the West of England Combined Authority on 8 December 2020 set out projects that could potentially be delivered between 2020 and 2030, including the reopening of Charfield station.[9]
A 12-week public consultation on the re-opening proposals was held between 19 October 2021 and 10 January 2022, with the new station proposed to open during Spring 2027.[10]
Planning permission for the new station (South Gloucestershire Council, ref P22/05778/R3F) was granted in March 2023. Preparation work for construction started in May 2025.
Services
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wickwar Line open, station closed |
style="background:#Template:MR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Bristol and Gloucester Railway Midland Railway |
style="background:#Template:MR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Berkeley Road Line open, station closed |
| Terminus | style="background:#Template:MR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Sharpness Branch Line Midland Railway |
style="background:#Template:MR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Berkeley Line and station closed |
| Yate | style="background:#Template:FGW colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Great Western Railway MetroWest |
style="background:#Template:FGW colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | Cam and Dursley |
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Avon County Planning Department (1983). Railways in Avon: A Short History of Their Development and Decline. County of Avon.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Template:Closed stations Gloucestershire
Template:Proposed rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom
- Pages with script errors
- Articles using Infobox station with markup inside name
- Articles using Infobox station with links or images inside name
- Pages with no open date in Infobox station
- Former Midland Railway stations
- Disused railway stations in Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1844
- Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965
- Beeching closures in England
- Proposed railway stations in England