Purton railway station

Purton
Widham Bridge, with station site beyond, in 2009
Location
Place	Purton
Area	Wiltshire
Coordinates	51°35′38″N 1°51′59″W / 51.5939°N 1.8664°W / 51.5939; -1.8664Coordinates: 51°35′38″N 1°51′59″W / 51.5939°N 1.8664°W / 51.5939; -1.8664
Grid reference	SU093883
Operations
Original company	Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Platforms	2
History
31 May 1841 (1841-05-31)	Station opened
2 November 1964 (1964-11-02)	Station closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway through Purton parish was opened in 1841 and was absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1843. Purton railway station opened in 1841, in the hamlet of Widham, about 700 metres north of Purton village at the bridge over the Purton-Cricklade road. British Railways closed the station in 1964 but the line remains open. The Booking Office building survives with a small part of its platform.^[1]

Trains run along the Golden Valley Line through from London Paddington via Reading, Didcot Parkway and Swindon, then past the three closed stations of Purton, Minety and Oaksey Halt to Kemble, continuing to Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa. When engineering work closes the Severn Tunnel, trains from Paddington to Swansea are diverted from the Great Western Main Line and South Wales Main Line via Bristol Parkway to run via Kemble to Gloucester, then along the Gloucester to Newport Line through Lydney, Chepstow and Caldicot before rejoining the normal line at Severn Tunnel Junction.

Originally built as dual track, British Rail reduced the line between Kemble and Swindon to single track in 1968. Network Rail investigated the options for reinstating the second track, along with the estimated cost (see Golden Valley Line). In the 2011 Budget the Government announced that funding for the redoubling was to be provided^[2] and the works were completed in August 2014.^[3]

References

↑ Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 104. ISBN 1904349331.
↑ "Chancellor approves Kemble to Swindon railway upgrade". BBC News. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
↑ "£45m rail doubling from Kemble completed". Wiltshire Gazette & Herald. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

External links

Purton Station on navigable 1948 O.S. map

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Minety and Ashton Keynes Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway		Swindon Line and station open

Closed railway stations in Wiltshire

Bristol and North Somerset Railway	Midford Halt Monkton Combe Halt Limpley Stoke

Salisbury Branch Line	Heytesbury Codford Wylye Langford Wishford Wilton North

Devizes Branch Line	Semington Halt Seend Bromham and Rowde Halt Devizes Pans Lane Halt

Reading to Taunton line	Patney and Chirton Woodborough Manningford Halt Wootton Rivers Halt Savernake Low Level

Chippenham and Calne Line	Stanley Bridge Halt Black Dog Halt Calne

Midland and South Western Junction Railway	Cricklade Moredon Halt Rushey Platt Swindon Town Chiseldon Chiseldon Camp Ogbourne Marlborough Low Level Marlborough High Level Savernake High Level Grafton and Burbage Collingbourne Kingston Halt Collingbourne Ludgershall Tidworth

Great Western Main Line	Box Box (Mill Lane) Halt Corsham Christian Malford Halt Dauntsey Wootton Bassett Wootton Bassett Road Stratton Park Halt

Highworth branch line	Stratton Stanton Hannington Highworth

Golden Valley Line	Oaksey Halt Minety and Ashton Keynes Purton

Wessex Main Line	Lacock Halt Beanacre Halt Broughton Gifford Halt Holt Junction Staverton Halt

Bulford Camp Branch	Bulford Amesbury Newton Tony

South Wales Main Line	Hullavington Little Somerford Brinkworth Great Somerford

West of England Main Line	Dinton Idmiston Halt Porton Semley Wilton South

Other lines	Downton Edington and Bratton Fovant Lavington Malmesbury

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