Ashley Down railway station is a railway station in Bristol, serving the Ashley Down area. [1] It opened on 28 September 2024. [2]
The West of England Combined Authority planned to open a new railway station on the site of the disused Ashley Hill railway station which closed in 1964, as part of the MetroWest scheme. [3] The reopening was supported by Bristol City Council, Network Rail, local MPs and local rail groups, [4] and provides rail access to local colleges, the Memorial Stadium, home of Bristol Rovers Football Club, and to the County Ground, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. [5]
Ashley Down was planned to have a stop on the Bristol Supertram, a light rail project which was cancelled in 2004. This was planned to operate as a 30-minute service between Broadmead Shopping Centre and North Bristol, so local residents' hopes and dreams of a returned rail service had to be put on hold. The new GWR station was initially ruled out by Network Rail due to modern regulations regarding the track gradient in stations and because of the high cost of removing an embankment. [6] [7] However in January 2018, it was revealed that plans had been revived to reopen the station as part of the reopening of Henbury Spur. [8]
Following the Bristol City Council meeting of 18 June 2019, the former Ashley Hill railway station, which closed in 1964, [9] was cited as a station of main interest in MetroWest, with an opening date expected by 2023. [10] Funding was given in January 2023 for the station, [3] and construction started in March 2023. [11] On 12 September 2024, the Office of Rail and Road authorised services from the station on 28 September. [12] The station was formally opened by Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England, on 27 September. [13] [9]
The new station is served by hourly services to Filton Abbey Wood on the way north, and Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill and Bristol Temple Meads on the way south. When the line is fully open, northbound trains will also call at North Filton and Henbury. [14] [3]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Filton Abbey Wood | Great Western Railway MetroWest (Bristol) | Stapleton Road |
Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located 118 miles 31 chains away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city and surrounding districts, with a ferry to the city centre. Bristol's other major station, Bristol Parkway, is a more recent station on the northern outskirts of the conurbation. It is the busiest station in South West England.
The Severn Beach line is a local railway line in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England, which runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach, and used to extend to Pilning. The first sections of the line were opened in 1865 as part of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier; the section through Bristol was opened in 1875 as the Clifton Extension Railway.
Stapleton Road railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city district of Easton in Bristol, England. It is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is SRD. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.
Filton Abbey Wood railway station serves the town of Filton in South Gloucestershire, England; it is located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. There are four platforms but minimal facilities. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, which also operates all calling services. The general service level is nine trains per hour: two to Cardiff Central, two towards Gloucester, one towards Taunton, two towards Westbury and two to Bristol Temple Meads.
Patchway railway station is on the South Wales Main Line, serving the town of Patchway and village of Stoke Gifford in South Gloucestershire, England. It is 6 miles (10 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is PWY. It is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide all train services at the station; there is generally a train every hour in each direction between Cardiff Central and Taunton.
The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated by its main line neighbour, and was more usually thought of as the Portishead branch or the Portishead railway.
Bristol is a city in south west England, near the Bristol Channel coast, approximately 106 miles (170 km) west of London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, retail, culture and higher education, has many historic areas, and has a history of maritime industry. The city has a population of 450,000, with a metropolitan area of 650,000, and lies at the centre of the former County of Avon, which includes many dormitory towns, and has a population of one million.
Lawrence Hill railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city districts of Easton and Lawrence Hill in Bristol, England. It is 1.0 mile (1.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is LWH. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.
Chittening Platform railway station was a station on the former Great Western Railway between Filton and Avonmouth.
The Henbury Loop Line, also known as the Filton to Avonmouth Line, is a railway line following the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire between the Severn Beach Line at Hallen Marsh Junction, Avonmouth and the Cross Country Route/South Wales Main Line at Filton. It is currently only used for freight.
Ashley Down is a residential neighbourhood in the north of Bristol, England. It lies on high ground east of Bishopston, north of St Andrews and St Werburghs, west of Muller Road and south of Horfield. The main artery is Ashley Down Road. It is in the Bishopston and Ashley Down electoral ward of Bristol City Council.
The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester. The ferry was replaced by the Severn Tunnel in 1886 but part of the route continues to be used, forming parts of the Cross-Country Route and the South Wales Main Line.
Ashley Hill railway station was a railway station serving the area of Ashley Down in the north of Bristol, England. It was located on what is now known as Filton Bank. It was served by stopping trains to Severn Beach, Avonmouth and Swindon . The West of England Combined Authority opened a new train station, called Ashley Down, on the site of Ashley Hill station, in September 2024.
MetroWest, formerly known as the Greater Bristol Metro, is a project to improve the rail services in Bristol, England, and the surrounding region. It was first proposed at First Great Western's Stakeholder Event in March 2008. The aim of the project is to develop half-hourly services through central Bristol which will also serve the surrounding West of England region. Transport campaigning groups Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FoSBR) and Transport for Greater Bristol are actively supporting the proposal, as are the three unitary authorities under the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.
North Filton Platform was a railway station which served the northern part of Filton, Gloucestershire, England. It was on the railway line between Filton and Avonmouth, and was situated on the western side of Gloucester Road.
Bristol Rail Campaign is a Bristol-based campaign group, calling for better rail transport in the Bristol area.
Henbury railway station served the Bristol suburb of Henbury, England, from 1910 to 1965. The station was situated on the Henbury Loop Line of the Great Western Railway and was opened on 9 May 1910 for passenger services. Under the Beeching cuts, it was closed to passengers on 23 November 1964, with goods services ceasing on 5 July 1965. There is a proposal to reopen the station as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme.
Charlton Halt railway station was a railway station which served the village of Charlton, west of Filton in South Gloucestershire, England, on the Avonmouth and Filton Railway, now known as the Henbury Loop Line. The station was open only between May 1910 and March 1915, when the line was closed to passengers. The line was reopened to passengers from 1922 to 1964, but the station was not reopened.