Ashley Hill railway station

Ashley Hill
Site of the station (1992)
Location
Place	Ashley Down
Area	City of Bristol
Coordinates	51°28′42″N 2°34′36″W / 51.4783°N 2.5767°WCoordinates: 51°28′42″N 2°34′36″W / 51.4783°N 2.5767°W
Operations
Original company	Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
History
13 August 1864	Station opens
23 November 1964	Station closes
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

Bristol Area Railway Map
Legend
Cross Country Route Thornbury Branch Line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPRP) North Filton Platform Filton Triangle Depot Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Docks Avonmouth Filton Junction Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Avonmouth Docks Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield (1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield (1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Warmley unitary authority area Lawrence Hill Waste depot Oldland Common Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Harbour Railway St Philips Marsh T&RSMD Bedminster Parson Street Bristol Docks (North) Bristol Docks (South) South Liberty Lane Depot East Depot Bitton Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Avon Riverside Pill Keynsham Portbury shipyard Whitchurch Halt Royal Portbury Dock Kelston Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Mangotsfield Branch Line (1954–1964) Portishead Great Western Main Line Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway Bristol & North Somerset Rly (1879–1954) Portishead Bristol to Exeter Line Portishead Pier

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 the Filton line. It was served by stopping trains to Severn Beach (via Pilning), Avonmouth (via Chittening) and Swindon (via Badminton).

History

The station was opened in 1864 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway, which was absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1868. The station passed to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.

The site today

Trains running between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway pass the site. Remains of one of the platforms are clearly visible.

In 2001 the station was selected to be reopened as "Ashley Down" and used as a stop for the proposed Bristol Supertram project. This was planned to operate as a 30-minute service between Broadmead Shopping Centre and North Bristol, but the project was cancelled in 2004.

Future

The line through Ashley Hill is due to be electrified by 2017 as part of the Great Western Main Line electrification project.^[1][2] The electrification scheme also includes the four-tracking of Filton Bank, which will allow more services between Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads, and separate fast inter-city services from local stopping services.^[3][4]

It was suggested that Ashley Hill station be reopened as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme.^[5][6] The reopening was supported by Bristol City Council, Network Rail, local MPs and local rail groups,^[7] and would have provided rail access to local colleges and to the County Ground, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.^[8] However, it was ruled out by Network Rail due to modern regulations regarding the track gradient in stations, and also due to the high cost of removing an embankment.^[9][10]

References

1. "Modernising the Great Western" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
2. "Bristol to London line to be electrified". This Is Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
3. "Green light for long-awaited rail improvements". The Post, Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
4. Broadbent, Steve (16–29 May 2012). "Ship-shape and Bristol fashion". RAIL. No. 696. pp. 46–53.
5. White, James (13 March 2009). "Item 04: Greater Bristol Metro" (PDF). West of England Partnership. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
6. "Campaign for trains from Bristol Temple Meads every half hour". This is Bristol. Northcliffe Media. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
7. "Study to take place into plans for new station". The Bristol Post. Northcliffe Media. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
8. Wood, Dave (16 September 2013). "New tracks, new stations will provide opportunities". Retrieved 10 October 2013.
9. "Costs set to signal end of plan to reopen city railway station". Bristol Post. Local World. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
10. Johnston, Howard (27 November – 10 December 2013). "Regional News". RAIL. Vol. 736. Haymarket Publishing. p. 24.

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687.