Beaconsfield railway station
Encyclopedia
Beaconsfield railway station is the railway station of the town of Beaconsfield
in Buckinghamshire
. The station is served by Chiltern Railways
trains from Marylebone towards High Wycombe
and Birmingham Snow Hill and is situated between Seer Green & Jordans and High Wycombe
stations.
Project Evergreen 2 the platform roads were upgraded to increase the line speed for through trains from 40 mph to 75 mph. A taxi cab company is based at the station.
The station was transferred from the Western Region of British Rail
to the London Midland Region
on 24 March 1974.
In October 2007 work began on installing ticket barriers: these became operational on 10 March 2008. Prior to this the station was a popular through pedestrian route from one side of Beaconsfield to the other. Since the barriers were installed this walk is no longer possible, and a quarter-mile detour is now necessary.
In the early 2000s the station car park was made into a two story multi-storey car park. In March 2008 the top deck was closed for work to start on adding a third storey. This opened on 1 September 2008 bringing the total available spaces up to 696.
A new timetable will come into operation at Beaconsfield in September 2011 when the new high speed Chiltern Mainline opens. Journey times to and from London will be cut by up to 10 mins.
, where it is portrayed as 'Causton railway station', in the county town
of Midsomer, the fictional county in which the series is set. For these appearances, temporary 'Causton' station nameboards are erected but other fixtures and fittings are unaltered, and in some cases, local Beaconsfield advertisements may be observed in the background of shots.
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The station is served by Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
trains from Marylebone towards High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
and Birmingham Snow Hill and is situated between Seer Green & Jordans and High Wycombe
High Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is situated in High Wycombe in South Buckinghamshire. The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains on the Chiltern Main Line from Marylebone towards Birmingham Snow Hill. It is situated between Beaconsfield and Saunderton stations.-History:The station was built...
stations.
Background
The station was opened in 1906 as part of the construction of the GWR/GCR joint line. The original station layout was four track, with two through roads and two platform roads, but the through roads removed in early 1974 and trains now use the platform roads. Recently, as part of Chiltern'sChiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
Project Evergreen 2 the platform roads were upgraded to increase the line speed for through trains from 40 mph to 75 mph. A taxi cab company is based at the station.
The station was transferred from the Western Region of British Rail
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
to the London Midland Region
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on 24 March 1974.
In October 2007 work began on installing ticket barriers: these became operational on 10 March 2008. Prior to this the station was a popular through pedestrian route from one side of Beaconsfield to the other. Since the barriers were installed this walk is no longer possible, and a quarter-mile detour is now necessary.
In the early 2000s the station car park was made into a two story multi-storey car park. In March 2008 the top deck was closed for work to start on adding a third storey. This opened on 1 September 2008 bringing the total available spaces up to 696.
Services
The typical Monday-Friday off peak service from Beaconsfield is:- 4 trains per hour (tph) to London MaryleboneMarylebone stationMarylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
, of which:- 2 call at Gerrards CrossGerrards Cross railway stationGerrards Cross railway station serves the villages of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire. It is in a cutting on the Chiltern Main Line between and ....
only - 1 calls at Seer Green and JordansSeer Green and Jordans railway stationSeer Green and Jordans railway station lies close to the village of Seer Green in Buckinghamshire and also serves the nearby village of Jordans...
, Gerrards Cross, Denham Golf ClubDenham Golf Club railway stationDenham Golf Club station is on the Chiltern Main Line out of London Marylebone towards High Wycombe.-Background:The station was built in 1912, six years after passenger services commenced on the Great Western/Great Central Joint line from Grendon Underwood junction to Marylebone via High Wycombe...
, DenhamDenham railway stationDenham railway station is in Buckinghamshire, England, on the Chiltern Main Line north west of Marylebone towards High Wycombe.-History:The station was built just to the north of Denham village as part of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway from Grendon Underwood junction to...
, West RuislipWest Ruislip stationWest Ruislip is a Network Rail station located on Ickenham Road between Ickenham and Ruislip in western Greater London; it is served by both London Underground and National Rail trains on independent platforms....
, Northolt ParkNortholt Park railway stationNortholt Park railway station is a Network Rail station in Northolt, Greater London. It is in Cadogan Close and spans the boundary between the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Ealing, with a footbridge connecting the north side to the south side .The service to the station has...
and Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium railway stationWembley Stadium railway station is a Network Rail station in Wembley, Greater London on the Chiltern Main Line. At a quarter of a mile south west of the sports venue it is the nearest station to Wembley Stadium.- First Wembley Stadium station:... - 1 calls at Seer Green and Jordans, Gerrards Cross, Denham, South RuislipSouth Ruislip stationSouth Ruislip is a station served by London Underground and Chiltern Railways in South Ruislip in west London. The station is owned, managed and staffed by London Underground. The station is in Travelcard Zone 5.-History:...
, Northolt Park, Sudbury Hill HarrowSudbury Hill Harrow railway stationSudbury Hill Harrow railway station is a National Rail station in the London Borough of Harrow in northwest London.The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains from Marylebone towards High Wycombe and Birmingham Snow Hill, and is in Travelcard Zone 4. This station also has an Oyster card...
and Wembley Stadium
- 2 call at Gerrards Cross
- 2 tph to High WycombeHigh Wycombe railway stationHigh Wycombe railway station is situated in High Wycombe in South Buckinghamshire. The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains on the Chiltern Main Line from Marylebone towards Birmingham Snow Hill. It is situated between Beaconsfield and Saunderton stations.-History:The station was built...
- 1 tph to Princes RisboroughPrinces Risborough railway stationPrinces Risborough station is a railway station on the Chiltern Main Line that serves the town of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, England...
, calling at High Wycombe and SaundertonSaunderton railway stationSaunderton railway station is a rural National Rail station located on the A4010 between High Wycombe and Princes Risborough, in Buckinghamshire. The station is located some two and a half miles south of the original village of Saunderton and close to the villages of Bledlow Ridge and Bradenham...
, which extends to Bicester NorthBicester North railway stationBicester North is a station on the Chiltern Main Line, one of two stations serving Bicester. Services operated by Chiltern Railways run south to and north to , and .Bicester North is the larger of Bicester's two stations...
every two hours (calling at Haddenham and Thame ParkwayHaddenham and Thame Parkway railway stationHaddenham and Thame Parkway railway station serves the village of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire and town of Thame in Oxfordshire. The station is on the western edge of Haddenham, about north east of Thame, and is served by Chiltern Railways....
) - 1 tph to Bicester North, calling at High Wycombe, Princes Risborough and Haddenham and Thame Parkway, which extends to Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon railway stationStratford-upon-Avon railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It was once a through station on the Great Western Railway route from Birmingham to Cheltenham, but has been the terminus of the line since 1976.There are plans for a new...
every two hours (calling at Kings Sutton, BanburyBanbury railway stationBanbury railway station serves the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The station is currently operated by Chiltern Railways, on the Chiltern Main Line, and has four platforms in use.-History:...
, Leamington SpaLeamington Spa railway stationLeamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre.-History:...
, WarwickWarwick railway stationWarwick railway station serves the town of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. The station is served by Chiltern Railways , and also occasionally by London Midland and CrossCountry. It is located one and a half miles from the town centre although it is in the inner suburbs. It was opened in 1852 by...
, HattonHatton railway stationHatton railway station serves the village of Hatton in Warwickshire, England. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways. Most trains calling here are those provided by Chiltern on its London Marylebone/Leamington Spa/Birmingham Snow Hill/Kidderminster and London Marylebone/Leamington...
, ClaverdonClaverdon railway stationClaverdon railway station serves the village of Claverdon in Warwickshire, England.The station sees up to six Chiltern Railways departures in each direction on the Stratford-upon-Avon to Leamington Spa line every day except Sundays, and four of these trains continue to or start from London...
and BearleyBearley railway stationBearley railway station serves the village of Bearley in south Warwickshire. Once a junction station , today it is an unstaffed rural halt, managed by London Midland although Chiltern Railways provides most of the train services...
)
A new timetable will come into operation at Beaconsfield in September 2011 when the new high speed Chiltern Mainline opens. Journey times to and from London will be cut by up to 10 mins.
Fictional identity
Beaconsfield railway station features in a number of episodes of television crime drama series Midsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, where it is portrayed as 'Causton railway station', in the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Midsomer, the fictional county in which the series is set. For these appearances, temporary 'Causton' station nameboards are erected but other fixtures and fittings are unaltered, and in some cases, local Beaconsfield advertisements may be observed in the background of shots.