Bruton railway station
Bruton  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Bruton, Somerset England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W | ||||
| Grid reference | ST687347 | ||||
| Manager | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BRU[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1856 | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  12,308 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  40,688 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 46,238 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 51,030 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 53,002 | ||||
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Bruton railway station serves a largely rural area in the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated in the market town of Bruton. The station is on the Bristol to Weymouth line some 32.75 miles (53 km) south of Bath Spa. Trains on the Reading to Taunton line pass through the station but do not normally stop. Services are operated by Great Western Railway (who also manage the station) and South Western Railway.[2]
History
[edit]
The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1856 on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth main line.[3] At that time this was just a single track but a loop was provided at Bruton to allow trains to pass. A signal box was provided from 1877 at the west end of the station.[4]
Location
[edit]The cutting in which the railway is built is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as one of the best places in England to demonstrate the stratigraphic distinction of ammonites in the subcontractus zone and the morrisi zone.[5]
Facilities
[edit]The station has two platforms with a modern glass-and-metal waiting shelter on each. A footbridge enables passengers to cross the line. There is no wheelchair access to the far platform (for trains arriving from Bristol and going to Weymouth). The station has a bike rack and help points.[6][7]
Passenger volume
[edit]| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 17,167 | 18,449 | 19,369 | 18,520 | 23,444 | 25,576 | 25,544 | 27,364 | 30,078 | 32,088 | 34,096 | 36,950 | 40,660 | 41,364 | 42,798 | 48,818 | 12,308 | 40,688 | 46,238 | 51,030 | 53,002 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
[edit]
Great Western Railway operates eight trains each way on the Bristol to Weymouth line during the week and five on Sundays. It is not a regular service; there are some gaps of up to three hours between trains. To the north services run to and from Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads via Westbury. Most are extended beyond Bristol to and from Gloucester. To the south trains run to Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth.[9]
Additionally, there are services provided by South Western Railway that operate between Yeovil Junction and London Waterloo, although these are relatively slow due to taking an indirect route towards London, reversing at Westbury and travelling via Salisbury and the West of England Main Line.[10] A faster and more frequent service to London is available at both Castle Cary and Westbury on the same route, from where Great Western Railway operates trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids. These trains pass Bruton, but do not stop.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Cary | Great Western Railway Heart of Wessex Line |
Frome | ||
| South Western Railway Heart of Wessex Line |
||||
Community rail
[edit]The station, along with others on the Heart of Wessex Line, is part of the South Wessex Community Rail Partnership.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ "New South West Trains timetable 13 December 2015 – 14 May 2016" (PDF). South West Trains. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ↑ Quick 2023, p. 107.
- ↑ Oakley, Mike (2006). Somerset Railway Stations. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1-904537-54-5.
- ↑ English Nature citation sheet for the site Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 7 August 2006)
- ↑ "Bruton train station | Departures, arrivals and tickets | GWR". www.gwr.com. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bruton Station | National Rail". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Tables 133, 153 (Network Rail)
- ↑ "South Western Railway West of England Main Line Timetable December 2023 – June 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ↑ "Home - South Wessex Community Rail Partnership". 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
Bibliography
[edit]- Quick, Michael (2023). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
External links
[edit]
- Train times and station information for Bruton railway station from National Rail
- Bruton – Least Used Station in Somerset, 2018 YouTube film about the station and its status as the station with lowest passenger numbers in Somerset