Stonehouse railway station
Stonehouse | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Stroud (district) |
| Coordinates | 51°44′46″N 2°16′48″W / 51.746°N 2.280°W |
| Managed by | Great Western Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | SHU |
Stonehouse railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Stonehouse in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located on the Swindon-Gloucester "Golden Valley" line.
History
The station was formerly called Stonehouse Burdett Road to distinguish it from a second station, Stonehouse (Bristol Road), on the line between Bristol and Gloucester. Stonehouse Bristol Road closed to passengers under the Beeching Axe in 1965 and to goods traffic the following year.
Description
The station has two platforms, and is operated by Great Western Railway. The station has a ticket office, located on the Gloucester-bound platform; it is normally only open in the mornings, until the end of the peak period.
The platforms are short: only about 55 yards (50 m) each. This is long enough to accommodate the two-coach trains used on Swindon – Cheltenham Spa local services; but high speed trains running to or from London or Cheltenham Spa may be up to eight coaches. Since long trains cannot be accommodated entirely, such trains running towards Gloucester normally stop with the front two coaches in the platform, and those running toward London normally stop with the rear two in the platform. Passengers intending to alight at Stonehouse are advised earlier in their journeys to proceed along the train to the relevant coaches.[1] Since trains from Cheltenham almost always reverse at Gloucester, this can lead to confusion for cyclists as to which end of the train in which to load their bicycles.[2]
Station Upgrade
In December 2017 the station completed a £300,000 upgrade. The work included ground levelling, improved access and a new foot bridge.[3] Further improvements are taking place in Spring 2018, with the current short platforms each being extended by nearly 100m.[4][5] The changes allow for the introduction of British Rail Class 166 DMU (Diesel Multiple Units).
Services
Great Western Railway operate services from London Paddington to Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa using HST trains, and local services from Swindon to Gloucester and Cheltenham using the former Wessex Trains Class 150 two carriage sets. Trains call hourly in each direction Mon-Sat and also on Sundays (though with some two hour gaps).[6] As of August 2018, GWR started operating distance services between London Cheltenham Spa using its expanding fleet of Class 800 trains, which are increasingly replacing HSTs on Great Western Railway services.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester | Great Western Railway London/Swindon - Cheltenham |
Stroud | ||
| Great Western Railway Cheltenham-Westbury |
||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Gloucester Line and station open |
Great Western Railway Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway |
Ebley Crossing Halt Line open, station closed | ||
References
- ^ "Short platform stopping changes for High Speed Trains". First Great Western. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "Cycling by train" (PDF). First Great Western. 9 December 2007. pp. 3–5. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "Over £300,000 station improvements completed at Stonehouse". Stroud News and Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Stonehouse Station Update" (PDF). Stonehousetowncouncil.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Plans to bring 'vital investment' to district by extending platform at Stonehouse rail station met with approval". Stroud News and Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Table 125 National Rail timetable, May 2016