Bath Spa railway station

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Bath Spa
Bath Spa platforms
Location
Place	Bath
Local authority	Bath
Coordinates	51°22′39″N 2°21′23″W / 51.3775°N 2.3564°W / 51.3775; -2.3564Coordinates: 51°22′39″N 2°21′23″W / 51.3775°N 2.3564°W / 51.3775; -2.3564
Operations
Station code	BTH
Managed by	First Great Western
Platforms in use	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 *	3.333 million
2004/05 *	3.726 million
2005/06 *	3.905 million
2006/07 *	4.245 million
2007/08 *	4.478 million
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
1840	Opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Bath Spa from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.
UK Railways Portal

Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.

Contents 1 Architecture 2 Services 3 Management 4 Other stations in Bath 5 Location 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Architecture

Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II listed building^[1]. It is in an asymmetrical Tudor style with curving gables, and lies on the north bank of the Avon, with the line swerving elegantly across from the southern bank to the station and then back again.

A convenient characteristic for passengers is that ramps lead up to both platforms, permitting the disabled or those with luggage to have ready access from the platforms to cars or taxis. There is also a footbridge, formerly tolled, leading directly from the station across the Avon and allowing direct access to the area of Widcombe. The large gap between the up and down-lines used to accommodate a through bi-directional line.

[edit] Services

Since the closure of the Midland Region station at Green Park after the Beeching report, all of Bath's rail services run through Bath Spa. The station is also conveniently situated for connection with bus services.
The station has regular (approximately half-hourly each way) inter-city services to London Paddington via Swindon & Reading and to Bristol Temple Meads (with some extensions to Weston-super-Mare).
It is also served hourly (two-hourly on Sundays) by the Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour and Gloucester & Bristol to Westbury and Weymouth regional trains, plus a limited service to London Waterloo via Salisbury and Basingstoke (two per day).

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Bristol Temple Meads		First Great Western London - Bristol		Chippenham
Oldfield Park		First Great Western Great Malvern/Gloucester - Westbury/South Coast		Freshford
Bristol Temple Meads		First Great Western Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour		Bradford-on-Avon
		South West Trains London Waterloo - Bristol

[edit] Management

Since railway privatisation First Great Western has managed Bath Spa. In 2005 they obtained listed building consent for a number of alterations to the building, including the installation of lifts to the platforms. This is expected to enable them to remove the convenient direct access between the platforms and the car parks. Ticket Barriers have also been installed.

[edit] Other stations in Bath

v • d • e Railway stations in Bath
Legend  Great Western Main Line to London  Bathford Halt  Wessex Main Line to Westbury  Bathampton Hampton Row Halt Bath Spa (ex-GWR) Bath Green Park (MR and SDJR) Westmoreland Street (GWR, later goods only) Oldfield Park ( SDJR to Radstock ) Weston (Bath) Twerton-on-Avon ( MR to Bristol and Gloucester )  Great Western Main Line to Bristol

The only other open station in Bath is Oldfield Park, a small commuter station in a western suburb, with limited services to Bristol.

Other now closed stations in Bath were Green Park (the Midland terminus, of which the over-all roof and primary buildings survive, and which for most of its life was named "Bath Queen Square") and Weston (a suburban station on the Midland line which closed in 1953). Westmoreland Road, later a goods station, was the original GWR passenger station, and is now demolished). Twerton-on-Avon, and Hampton Row Halt, both on the GWR route, closed after World War I.

[edit] Location

The station is located immediately on the south side of the SouthGate development project, a major new shopping centre that is under construction. It is accessible from Manvers Street, which leads north into central Bath, or Widcombe in the opposite direction. The station will be directly adjacent to the new bus station, scheduled for completion in 2009. There are good views of the city centre on the approach to the station by train.

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bath Spa railway station

[edit] External links

• Bath Spa in the broad gauge era
  

v • d • e Railway stations served by Bristol area commuter services Taunton to Bristol and Cardiff Taunton • Bridgwater • Highbridge and Burnham • Weston-super-Mare • Weston Milton • Worle • Yatton • Nailsea and Backwell • Parson Street • Bedminster • Bristol Temple Meads • Lawrence Hill • Stapleton Road • Filton Abbey Wood • Patchway • Pilning • Severn Tunnel Junction • Newport • Cardiff Central Westbury and Bristol to Cheltenham Westbury  • Trowbridge • Bradford-on-Avon • Avoncliff • Freshford • Bath Spa • Oldfield Park • Keynsham • Bristol Temple Meads • Lawrence Hill • Stapleton Road • Filton Abbey Wood • Bristol Parkway • Yate • Cam and Dursley • Gloucester • Cheltenham Spa Severn Beach Line Bristol Temple Meads  • Lawrence Hill  • Stapleton Road  • Montpelier  • Redland  • Clifton Down  • Sea Mills  • Shirehampton  • Avonmouth  • St Andrews Road  • Severn Beach