Stapleton Road railway station

Stapleton Road
Location
Place	Easton
Local authority	Bristol
Coordinates	51.4675°N 2.5661°W / 51.4675; -2.5661
Operations
Station code	SRD
Managed by	First Great Western
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 *	77,201
2004/05 *	73,202
2005/06 *	86,977
2006/07 *	98,446
2007/08 *	72,182
2008/09 *	103,576
2009/10 *	111,532
History
Original company	Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
1863	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 estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Stapleton Road from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

Stapleton Road railway station lies in the inner city area of Easton, Bristol, England.

It is a railway station on the Severn Beach Line; although it is also served by hourly trains between Gloucester and Westbury.

The station platform has a long mural by local artist Bill Guilding, which features characters illustrating local and historical themes.

History

Stapleton Road railway station in 1972

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 Crooks Marsh Winterbourne Bristol Parkway Grey line represents Patchway boundary of Bristol Ram Hill Colliery Avonmouth Docks Chittening Platform St Andrews Road Henbury Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Hallen Halt Avonmouth (BPRP) Charlton Halt North Filton Platform Avonmouth Docks Westerleigh Goods Depot 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 Stapleton Road Warmley Lawrence Hill Waste depot Oldland Common Bristol St Philips Temple Meads goods 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) West 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 Saltford Portbury Portishead (1954-1964) Mangotsfield Branch Line WC&PLR Great Western Main Line Portishead (1879-1954) Bristol & N. Somerset Rly. Portishead Pier Bristol to Exeter Line

Bristol and Gloucester Railway

Legend MR(Birmingham and Gloucester Railway to Birmingham) SWR(Gloucester to Newport Line to Newport) Gloucester(Interchange) M5 motorway Haresfield(1854-1965) GWR(Golden Valley Line to Swindon) Stonehouse (Bristol Road)(Interchange. Closed 1965) MR(Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway to Nailsworth/Stroud) Frocester(Closed 1961) Cam and Dursley(Opened 1994) Coaley Junction(Interchange. 1856-1965) MR(Dursley and Midland Junction Railway to Dursley) M5 motorway Berkeley Road(Closed 1965) MR(Sharpness Branch Line to Sharpness) M5 motorway Charfield(Closed 1965) Wickwar(Closed 1965) Wickwar tunnel MR(Yate to Thornbury Branch Line to Thornbury) Yate(Interchange. Closed 1965, reopened 1989) Coalpit Heath Sidings GWR(South Wales Main Line to London) Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot M4 motorway MR(Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line to Bath) Mangotsfield(Interchange. 1845-1966) Staple Hill(1888-1966) Staple Hill Tunnel Bristol Parkway GWR(South Wales Main Line to Swansea) Goods line(To Avonmouth docks) Filton Abbey Wood GWR(Severn Beach Line to Severn Beach via Avonmouth) Fishponds(1866-1966) Avonside Locomotive Works River Frome M32 motorway Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots Bristol St Philips(Terminus. 1870-1953) Bristol Harbour River Avon(To Bath) GWR Temple Meads Goods Depot Bristol Temple Meads(Interchange) Bridge over Victoria Street Tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard Great Western Main Line to London Bristol Harbour Railway St Philips Marsh(TMD) River Avon(To the sea) GWR(Bristol and North Somerset Railway) GWR(Bristol and Exeter Railway to Taunton and Exeter)

Stapleton Road station was opened on 8 September 1863, when the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was opened. The BSWUR (absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1868) ran from Temple Meads to New Passage, where a ferry took passengers to South Wales.

The station became a junction station in 1874, when the branch to Clifton Down, now part of the Severn Beach Line, was opened. Express trains started calling at Stapleton Road in 1887, when trains from London to South Wales started using the Severn Tunnel. The London to South Wales trains passed through Bristol until 1903, when the direct line through Badminton was opened. Trains from Cardiff to Portsmouth continued to stop at Bristol (Stapleton Road) instead of Temple Meads until the 1960s.

Recently, Stapleton Road Station has become home to a community group, Eastside Roots. Local Volunteers have turned the station into an eco-garden and are holding some interesting events.

Southbound parcels train in 1958

Future

In March 2007, First Great Western published details of the improvements they plan to undertake over the next three years at Stapleton Road:

• CCTV
• Help and information points
• Public address system
• Rename station to Easton
• Community garden
• Maintain mural

Services

Services at Stapleton Road are all provided by First Great Western, although CrossCountry trains do pass through between Bristol and Birmingham.

Monday to Saturday there are five trains every two hours to/from Bristol Temple Meads.

There are three trains every two hours to Avonmouth via Clifton Down along the Severn Beach Line, most using Class 150 Sprinter units, with certain journeys extended to Severn Beach. On Saturdays there is a similar level of service, but more trains continue to Severn Beach. Sunday sees a roughly hourly service to and from Bristol, with only two services extending to Severn Beach, except from the May timetable change until September, when all services are extended.

In December 2007 the service towards Temple Meads doubled with the introduction of trains that previously did not stop at the station and from May 2008, a more frequent service on the Severn Beach Line led to even more trains calling. In peak hours, up to four trains per hour to or from Bristol Temple Meads call here.

The Gloucester to Westbury service also calls here every hour (Mondays - Saturdays only, southbound services only). Several of these are extended to Weymouth or Brighton. An hourly Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare service also calls here. Also the Taunton to Cardiff Central service also calls here every hour (Saturdays only, northbound services only).

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Montpelier		First Great Western Severn Beach Line		Lawrence Hill
Filton Abbey Wood		First Great Western Great Malvern to Weymouth (Mondays to Saturdays only, southbound only)
		First Great Western Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare
		First Great Western Cardiff Central to Taunton (Limited service)		Bristol Temple Meads
	Historical railways
Montpelier		Great Western Railway Clifton Extension Railway		Lawrence Hill

See also

• Rail services in Bristol

Further reading

• Maggs, C. (1981) Rail Centres: Bristol Ian Allan ISBN 0 7110 1153 2

External links

• Severn Beach Line: Information, Maps & Timetables for Stapleton Road station