Reading to Taunton line
Encyclopedia
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line
that diverges at Reading
, running to Cogload Junction
near Taunton
, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line
.
It was one of the principal routes of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway
which were subsequently taken over by the Western Region of British Railways
and are now part of the Network Rail
system.
: this is often called the "Great Way Round" and a few trains still take this route.
The various sections of line were opened:
The Reading to Hungerford section was promoted as the Berks and Hants Railway; from there to Patney & Chirton by the Berks and Hants Extension Railway; and from Westbury to Castle Cary by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
. The section from Cogload Junction to Exeter was built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
, which company's Yeovil branch became part of the new main line between Curry Rivel Junction and Athelney Junction, and including Athelney station. The section between Exeter and Plymouth was built by the South Devon Railway
.
The nominally independent companies had all been amalgamated
into the Great Western Railway
by 1 February 1876, and the remaining broad gauge
lines were closed on 20 May 1892 and converted to standard gauge
over the following weekend. A series of cut-off lines were constructed during the following 15 years which saw the through route established. The Great Western was nationalised on 1 January 1948 to become a part of the new British Railways.
Resignalling during the 1980s allowed faster running. This was followed by privatisation in the 1990s, first being transferred to Railtrack
and now, following its demise, on to Network Rail
.
– Theale
– Aldermaston
– Midgham
and Woolhampton
– Thatcham
– Newbury
– Kintbury
– Hungerford
– Great Bedwyn
After Reading railway station
the line curves to the left to follow the route of the old Berks and Hants Railway. The Great Western Main Line
is on the right and between the two routes is an engineering depot at a lower level, then on the same level as the running lines is Reading TMD
where the DMU
s used on local services out of London Paddington station are serviced. The depot is known as Triangle Sidings because of a curve that passes behind the depot allowing up trains (towards London) from the Great Western Main Line to become down trains on the Berks and Hants Line and vice versa; this curve is mainly used for freight trains to and from the South Coast.
Just beyond the depot lies Reading West
, a local station that is elevated above a road at one end but is in a deep cutting at the other. At the far end of the cutting is Southcote Junction where the line to Plymouth curves sharply to the right away from the other Berks and Hants Line to Basingstoke
. A third line used to curve to the left to a goods depot but this is long closed and the trackbed blocked by a footpath.
The route, which is marketed as the "Kennet Line", follows the River Kennet
through the outer suburbs of Reading to Theale
. The line passes through Berkshire
countryside and local stations at Aldermaston
, Midgham
and Thatcham
.
Newbury race course lies alongside the line on the left and has its own station
a short distance east of the main Newbury railway station
, where the town centre is close by on the right of the line. The station has a bay platform on the right for local terminating trains, and the through platforms are on loop lines that allow fast trains to overtake the local services that continue beyond the town. Some long distance trains also call here.
Beyond Newbury the railway follows the route of the Kennet and Avon Canal
which crosses below to run on the left side of the line through Kintbury
then crosses back to the right before it reaches Hungerford
. The line crosses into Wiltshire
and the canal crosses back to the left to run close beside the line through Little Bedwyn
to reach Bedwyn railway station
which is actually in Great Bedwyn
. This is the outer limit of the London suburban services and a turn back siding is situated on the right just beyond the station.
– Westbury
– Frome
– Bruton
– Castle Cary
– Taunton
Long distance trains continue to follow the Kennet and Avon Canal
which runs along the line. Beam engine
s are preserved at Crofton Pumping Station
that once pumped water to the summit level of the canal
. The canal goes beneath the line in a 500 yards (457 m) tunnel beneath the site of the closed Savernake Low Level railway station
, and the remains of the bridge that carried the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
. There was never a station at Burbage
but the siding served a wharf which allowed transhipment of goods between the canal and railway.
Some trains call at Pewsey railway station
, where one platform building is a replica of an earlier building but the building on the main platform is original. The site of Patney and Chirton railway station marks the start of a cut-off line that avoided the long loop (to the right) through Devizes railway station
on the Berks and Hants Extension Railway.
Non-stop trains curve to the left to pass under the Wessex Main Line
and avoid the complex of junctions around the station, but trains that call here diverge to the right at Heywood Road Junction. Another line curves sharply to the right to join the Wessex Main Line towards Trowbridge
at Hawkeridge Junction, a route that forms a diversionary route for the Great Western Main Line. The line curves left past the Panel Signal Box to join the Wessex Main Line in the opposite direction and enter the station.
There are sidings on both sides of the line west of the station. On the right are those used for stabling the local DMU
s between services, and a Network Rail
"virtual quarry" where ballast is stockpiled for distribution. The sidings on the left are mainly used by stone trains from Mendips
quarries further west along the line. Our line diverges right from the Wessex Main Line (which continues towards Salisbury
) and curves around behind the virtual quarry to reach Fairwood Junction where trains that avoided the station rejoin the historic route, which here was constructed by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
.
Crossing from "Wilts" (Wiltshire) into Somerset
the line goes through Clink Road Junction where a branch line diverges on the right to Frome railway station
, where a rare wooden train shed
still survives, and Whatley Quarry. Frome is served by Heart of Wessex Line
local services but few long distance trains call there instead of following the avoiding line to Blatchbridge Junction.
The next junction on the right is at Witham
, where the old East Somerset Railway
carries stone trains from Merehead Quarry and continues to Cranmore
. After passing through Bruton railway station
, the line passes the remains of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
at Cole, and then arrives at the junction station at Castle Cary
. Here it curves right, away from the Heart of Wessex Line which continues to Weymouth
via Yeovil Pen Mill
, a diversionary route that is used when the usual route to Exeter
is blocked.
The main line is now on the Langport and Castle Cary Railway that opened on 2 July 1906 to shorten the so-called "Great Way Round" via Bristol
. After passing through Somerton Tunnel the line soon finds itself crossing the low-lying and comes onto the Somerset Levels
and at to Langport and Curry Rivel Junction, where the old Yeovil branch line. used to join from the left, only to diverge right at Athelney to join the Bristol to Taunton Line at Durston. The 1906 openings saw an additional cut-off from Athelney to Cogload Junction
where the line joins the route from Bristol, the old Bristol and Exeter Railway
. The Taunton and Bridgwater Canal runs alongside the railway. The line passes the site of Creech railway station and the junction of the former Chard Branch Line
.
. These services include the High Speed Train from London Paddington to Penzance
, Plymouth or Paignton
. Some of these services travel through Reading and Bristol to join the line at Taunton. Other HST services operate from Paddington to Exeter, although some terminate at Westbury or Frome. The operator also provides local services along much of the line, including those between Reading and Bedwyn; Westbury and Castle Cary; and Exeter to Plymouth
.
s at certain locations. The highest line-speed on the route is 110 mph (49.2 m/s). The route has a loading gauge clearance of W7 except Reading to Westbury and Taunton to Exeter which are the larger W8, and is open to rolling stock up to Route Availability
8. Signalling requires four minutes between trains on most of the route, but 8 minutes approaching Cogload Junction
and 6 minutes west of Newton Abbot. Signalling is by multiple-aspect signals, controlled from panel signal boxes at Reading, Westbury, Exeter, and Plymouth, and level crossing boxes at Colthrop (near Thatcham) and Kintbury. Most of the signals are three-aspect, but some sections of two- or four-aspect signalling also exist. During 2010, control of the area currently signalled by Reading panel will transfer to the new Thames Valley Signalling Control Centre at Didcot.
The Network Rail
Business Plan (2007) recognises that the heaviest traffic flows are on the section through Newbury, from where there is large commuter traffic to London. The main pinch point is between Reading West and Southcote Junction where the route is shared with trains to and from Basingstoke and south coast ports. It is forecast that demand for journeys towards London can be met up to 2016 by increased service levels; three trains each hour will be needed to the west of England. By 2026 seating demand is forecast to be in excess of capacity from as far west as Westbury, and by as much as 14%. There are also significant current traffic levels and predicted growth on local services around Exeter.
from Paddington near Newbury in 2004, following a collision with a car that had been deliberately stopped on a level crossing
. Some of the notable incidents were:
to be operated by bi-mode versions of the Hitachi Super Express using electric power as far as Newbury instead of Reading. The electrification of the line to Newbury would allow commuter services to using electrically powered trains to run the entire distance from London Paddington to Newbury. These could be the 5-car version of the Super Express but the DfT white paper calls for electric services beyond Reading to be operated by cascaded and completely modernised Thameslink
commuter trains from the end of 2016. This would allow the existing DMUs that operate on this section to be cascaded to the Bristol area, the South West and Northern England. However, since electrification will not extend to Bedwyn, commuter services west of Newbury would have to be operated by DMUs or the bi-mode version of the 5-car Super Express.
In addition to the electrification of the line to Newbury there are to be significant changes to the layout of Reading station. These include the building of a bridge to carry the fast lines of the Great Western Main Line over the Reading to Plymouth Line. There will also be an additional four platforms built on the north side of Reading station to be used for the relief lines whilst the existing platforms will be used exclusively by fast trains to London and the West.
Additional plans for the route include the reduction of the distances between signals west of Newton Abbot; making the down loop at Newbury Racecourse reversible to improve train handling on race days; the extension of the turnback siding at Bedwyn to accommodate six-car DMU
s; increase line speed as far as Cogload Junction
; a third track from there and direct access to the northern bay platform at Taunton; allow tilting trains
to operate in tilting mode west of Newton Abbot where the curvature severely restricts speeds for conventional trains.
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
that diverges at Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
, running to Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
near Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line
Bristol to Exeter line
The Bristol to Exeter line is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line in the southern United Kingdom and runs from Bristol, to Exeter, from where it continues as the Exeter to Plymouth line...
.
It was one of the principal routes of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
which were subsequently taken over by the Western Region of British Railways
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...
and are now part of the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
system.
History
The line only became a through route on 2 July 1906 when the Langport and Castle Cary Railway was completed. Before this, from 5 May 1848, through trains from London to Plymouth had run via BristolBristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
: this is often called the "Great Way Round" and a few trains still take this route.
The various sections of line were opened:
- Reading to HungerfordHungerford railway stationHungerford railway station is a railway station in the town of Hungerford, Berkshire, England. First Great Western trains serve the station.-History:...
– 21 December 1847 - Hungerford to Patney & Chirton – 11 November 1862
- Patney & Chirton to WestburyWestbury railway stationWestbury railway station serves the town of Westbury, Wiltshire, England. The station is managed by First Great Western.The station is a major junction, serving the Reading to Plymouth Line with services to and from Penzance and London Paddington, the Wessex Main Line with services to and from...
– 29 July 1929 - Westbury to FromeFrome railway stationFrome railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England, and is situated in the town of Frome.The station is located on a long branch line which loops off the main line railway, which carries services on both the Reading to Taunton line and Bristol to Weymouth route...
– 7 October 1850 - Frome to Castle CaryCastle Cary railway stationCastle Cary railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated approximately north of the town of Castle Cary, and south of Shepton Mallet....
– 1 September 1856 - Castle Cary to Charlton Mackrell – 2 July 1905
- Charlton Mackrell to Somerton – 20 May 1905
- Somerton to Curry Rivel Junction – 12 February 1906
- Curry Rivel Junction to Athelney Junction – 1 October 1853 as part of Taunton to Yeovil line
- Athelney Junction to Cogload JunctionCogload JunctionCogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
– 2 April 1906 - Cogload JunctionCogload JunctionCogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
to TauntonTaunton railway stationTaunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
– 1 June 1842
The Reading to Hungerford section was promoted as the Berks and Hants Railway; from there to Patney & Chirton by the Berks and Hants Extension Railway; and from Westbury to Castle Cary by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
. The section from Cogload Junction to Exeter was built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
, which company's Yeovil branch became part of the new main line between Curry Rivel Junction and Athelney Junction, and including Athelney station. The section between Exeter and Plymouth was built by the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
.
The nominally independent companies had all been amalgamated
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
into the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
by 1 February 1876, and the remaining broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
lines were closed on 20 May 1892 and converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
over the following weekend. A series of cut-off lines were constructed during the following 15 years which saw the through route established. The Great Western was nationalised on 1 January 1948 to become a part of the new British Railways.
Resignalling during the 1980s allowed faster running. This was followed by privatisation in the 1990s, first being transferred to Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
and now, following its demise, on to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
Reading to Bedwyn
Communities served:ReadingReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
– Theale
Theale, Berkshire
Theale is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village has many of the attributes of a small town, with a high street lined with shops, pubs and restaurants.- Location :...
– Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
– Midgham
Midgham
Midgham is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley about east of Newbury, Berkshire. It has a population of 282.The village extends to the Berkshire Arms public house in the west, New Road Hill in the east, Midgham Marsh to the south of the A4 road and Midgham Green to the north...
and Woolhampton
Woolhampton
Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the London to Bath road between the towns of Reading and Newbury...
– Thatcham
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
– Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
– Kintbury
Kintbury
Kintbury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford.-Amenities:In Kintbury there is the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary, Church of England primary school, post office, corner shop, and a butcher...
– Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
– Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
After Reading railway station
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
the line curves to the left to follow the route of the old Berks and Hants Railway. The Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
is on the right and between the two routes is an engineering depot at a lower level, then on the same level as the running lines is Reading TMD
Reading TMD
Reading TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Reading, England, and operated by First Great Western. The depot code is RG.The depot is situated to the west of Reading station and to the north of Reading West station...
where the DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s used on local services out of London Paddington station are serviced. The depot is known as Triangle Sidings because of a curve that passes behind the depot allowing up trains (towards London) from the Great Western Main Line to become down trains on the Berks and Hants Line and vice versa; this curve is mainly used for freight trains to and from the South Coast.
Just beyond the depot lies Reading West
Reading West railway station
Reading West is a railway station in Reading in England. It is in West Reading, west of the town centre, about from the main retail and commercial areas. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, a local station that is elevated above a road at one end but is in a deep cutting at the other. At the far end of the cutting is Southcote Junction where the line to Plymouth curves sharply to the right away from the other Berks and Hants Line to Basingstoke
Reading to Basingstoke Line
The Reading to Basingstoke Line is a short railway link between the South Western Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, constructed by the Great Western Railway between 1846 and 1848. The line is served by First Great Western local services between Reading and Basingstoke, which stop at the...
. A third line used to curve to the left to a goods depot but this is long closed and the trackbed blocked by a footpath.
The route, which is marketed as the "Kennet Line", follows the River Kennet
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
through the outer suburbs of Reading to Theale
Theale railway station
Theale railway station is a railway station in the village of Theale, Berkshire England. The station is served First Great Western local services between and , a semi-fast service between and and a limited semi-fast FGW service between London Paddington and , , and .The railway station was...
. The line passes through Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
countryside and local stations at Aldermaston
Aldermaston railway station
Aldermaston railway station is a railway station named after the village of Aldermaston in the county of Berkshire in England. The station is in the nearby settlement of Aldermaston Wharf and approximately north from Aldermaston village. It was opened on December 21, 1847.- Description...
, Midgham
Midgham railway station
Midgham railway station is a railway station named after the village of Midgham in the county of Berkshire in England. In fact the station is in the nearby valley bottom village of Woolhampton and some distance downhill from Midgham village itself.-History:...
and Thatcham
Thatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station is a railway station in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. The station is served by First Great Western local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast and from...
.
Newbury race course lies alongside the line on the left and has its own station
Newbury Racecourse railway station
Newbury Racecourse railway station is a railway station serving the East Fields area of the town of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 September 1905. The station is next to Newbury Racecourse and handles heavy traffic and additional trains on race days...
a short distance east of the main Newbury railway station
Newbury railway station
Newbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...
, where the town centre is close by on the right of the line. The station has a bay platform on the right for local terminating trains, and the through platforms are on loop lines that allow fast trains to overtake the local services that continue beyond the town. Some long distance trains also call here.
Beyond Newbury the railway follows the route of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
which crosses below to run on the left side of the line through Kintbury
Kintbury railway station
Kintbury railway station is a railway station in the village of Kintbury, Berkshire England. It is served by local services operated by First Great Western from via and to .-Services:-External links:...
then crosses back to the right before it reaches Hungerford
Hungerford railway station
Hungerford railway station is a railway station in the town of Hungerford, Berkshire, England. First Great Western trains serve the station.-History:...
. The line crosses into Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and the canal crosses back to the left to run close beside the line through Little Bedwyn
Little Bedwyn
Little Bedwyn is a village and civil parish on the River Dun in Wiltshire, about south-west of the market town of Hungerford in neighbouring Berkshire....
to reach Bedwyn railway station
Bedwyn railway station
Bedwyn railway station is a railway station in the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England. It is also, along with , a station for the market town of Marlborough away...
which is actually in Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
. This is the outer limit of the London suburban services and a turn back siding is situated on the right just beyond the station.
On to Taunton
Communities served: PewseyPewsey
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire about west of London. It is well connected to London, the West Country and Wales being close to the M4 motorway and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station on the...
– Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
– Frome
Frome
Frome is a town and civil parish in northeast Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town is built on uneven high ground, and centres around the River Frome. The town is approximately south of Bath, east of the county town, Taunton and west of London. In the 2001...
– Bruton
Bruton
Bruton is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Brue seven miles south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, ten miles north-west of Gillingham and twelve miles south-west of Frome in the South Somerset district. The town has a...
– Castle Cary
Castle Cary
Castle Cary is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet.The town is situated on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.-History:...
– Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
which runs along the line. Beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
s are preserved at Crofton Pumping Station
Crofton Pumping Station
Crofton Pumping Station is a pumping station near the village of Great Bedwyn in the English county of Wiltshire: it supplies the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal with water....
that once pumped water to the summit level of the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
. The canal goes beneath the line in a 500 yards (457 m) tunnel beneath the site of the closed Savernake Low Level railway station
Savernake Low Level railway station
Savernake Low Level railway station was a station on the Berks and Hants Extension Railway.-History:The Berks and Hants Extension Railway, which ran from to , opened on 11 November 1862, and the station named Savernake was opened with the line. It was situated between and stations...
, and the remains of the bridge that carried the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
. There was never a station at Burbage
Burbage, Wiltshire
Burbage is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. It is about south of Marlborough and west of Newbury.-Local government:...
but the siding served a wharf which allowed transhipment of goods between the canal and railway.
Some trains call at Pewsey railway station
Pewsey railway station
Pewsey railway station is a railway station in the village of Pewsey in the county of Wiltshire in England. The station is on the Berks and Hants line and is served by intercity services operated by First Great Western to and from the West Country. The average journey time to London Paddington from...
, where one platform building is a replica of an earlier building but the building on the main platform is original. The site of Patney and Chirton railway station marks the start of a cut-off line that avoided the long loop (to the right) through Devizes railway station
Devizes railway station
Devizes railway station was the railway station serving Devizes in Wiltshire, England. The station was on the Devizes Branch Line, in between Pans Lane Halt and Bromham & Rowde Station.- Conception :...
on the Berks and Hants Extension Railway.
Non-stop trains curve to the left to pass under the Wessex Main Line
Wessex Main Line
The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.- Places served :The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
and avoid the complex of junctions around the station, but trains that call here diverge to the right at Heywood Road Junction. Another line curves sharply to the right to join the Wessex Main Line towards Trowbridge
Trowbridge railway station
Trowbridge railway station is a railway station on the Wessex Main Line between and . The station is south east of and is managed by First Great Western....
at Hawkeridge Junction, a route that forms a diversionary route for the Great Western Main Line. The line curves left past the Panel Signal Box to join the Wessex Main Line in the opposite direction and enter the station.
There are sidings on both sides of the line west of the station. On the right are those used for stabling the local DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s between services, and a Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
"virtual quarry" where ballast is stockpiled for distribution. The sidings on the left are mainly used by stone trains from Mendips
Mendips
*Mendip, a local government district of Somerset, UK**Mendip Hills , a group of hills in the above district**Chewton Mendip, a village in the Mendip Hills**Mendip TV Mast, a transmitter in the Mendips area...
quarries further west along the line. Our line diverges right from the Wessex Main Line (which continues towards Salisbury
Salisbury railway station
Salisbury is a railway station serving the city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. Located southwest of London Waterloo, the station is the crossing point of the West of England Main Line and the Wessex Main Line...
) and curves around behind the virtual quarry to reach Fairwood Junction where trains that avoided the station rejoin the historic route, which here was constructed by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
.
Crossing from "Wilts" (Wiltshire) into Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
the line goes through Clink Road Junction where a branch line diverges on the right to Frome railway station
Frome railway station
Frome railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England, and is situated in the town of Frome.The station is located on a long branch line which loops off the main line railway, which carries services on both the Reading to Taunton line and Bristol to Weymouth route...
, where a rare wooden train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
still survives, and Whatley Quarry. Frome is served by Heart of Wessex Line
Heart of Wessex Line
The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth line, is a United Kingdom railway line that runs from Bristol to Westbury to Weymouth...
local services but few long distance trains call there instead of following the avoiding line to Blatchbridge Junction.
The next junction on the right is at Witham
Witham (Somerset) railway station
Witham railway station was a station serving the Somerset village of Witham Friary and was located on the Frome to Yeovil section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway that opened in 1856...
, where the old East Somerset Railway
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...
carries stone trains from Merehead Quarry and continues to Cranmore
Cranmore railway station
-Services:Various services are provided throughout the year, mainly in the Summer months to all stations to Mendip Vale and occasionally, specials are run to Westbury...
. After passing through Bruton railway station
Bruton railway station
Bruton railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated in the small town of Bruton....
, the line passes the remains of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
at Cole, and then arrives at the junction station at Castle Cary
Castle Cary railway station
Castle Cary railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated approximately north of the town of Castle Cary, and south of Shepton Mallet....
. Here it curves right, away from the Heart of Wessex Line which continues to Weymouth
Weymouth railway station
Weymouth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is the terminus of both the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line from and .-History:...
via Yeovil Pen Mill
Yeovil Pen Mill railway station
Yeovil Pen Mill railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Yeovil, Somerset. The station is situated just under a mile to the east of the town centre.The station is located south of Bristol Temple Meads, on the Heart of Wessex Line...
, a diversionary route that is used when the usual route to Exeter
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
is blocked.
The main line is now on the Langport and Castle Cary Railway that opened on 2 July 1906 to shorten the so-called "Great Way Round" via Bristol
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
. After passing through Somerton Tunnel the line soon finds itself crossing the low-lying and comes onto the Somerset Levels
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
and at to Langport and Curry Rivel Junction, where the old Yeovil branch line. used to join from the left, only to diverge right at Athelney to join the Bristol to Taunton Line at Durston. The 1906 openings saw an additional cut-off from Athelney to Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
where the line joins the route from Bristol, the old Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
. The Taunton and Bridgwater Canal runs alongside the railway. The line passes the site of Creech railway station and the junction of the former Chard Branch Line
Chard Branch Line
The Chard Branch Lines were two railway lines in Somerset, England, that met end on in Chard. The first was opened in 1863 by the London and South Western Railway as a short branch line from their main line. This approached the town from the south...
.
Current services
The majority of services on the route are operated by First Great WesternFirst Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
. These services include the High Speed Train from London Paddington to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
, Plymouth or Paignton
Paignton railway station
Paignton railway station is the railway station serving Paignton in Devon, England. It is the terminus of the Riviera Line from Exeter and is also an interchange between National Rail services and the preserved Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.-History:...
. Some of these services travel through Reading and Bristol to join the line at Taunton. Other HST services operate from Paddington to Exeter, although some terminate at Westbury or Frome. The operator also provides local services along much of the line, including those between Reading and Bedwyn; Westbury and Castle Cary; and Exeter to Plymouth
Exeter to Plymouth Line
The Exeter to Plymouth line is a central part of the trunk railway line between London Paddington and Penzance railway stations in the southern United Kingdom. It is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line and runs from Exeter, to Plymouth, from where it continues as the Cornish Main Line...
.
Infrastructure
The route is double track throughout, with passing loopPassing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s at certain locations. The highest line-speed on the route is 110 mph (49.2 m/s). The route has a loading gauge clearance of W7 except Reading to Westbury and Taunton to Exeter which are the larger W8, and is open to rolling stock up to Route Availability
Route availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
8. Signalling requires four minutes between trains on most of the route, but 8 minutes approaching Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
and 6 minutes west of Newton Abbot. Signalling is by multiple-aspect signals, controlled from panel signal boxes at Reading, Westbury, Exeter, and Plymouth, and level crossing boxes at Colthrop (near Thatcham) and Kintbury. Most of the signals are three-aspect, but some sections of two- or four-aspect signalling also exist. During 2010, control of the area currently signalled by Reading panel will transfer to the new Thames Valley Signalling Control Centre at Didcot.
The Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
Business Plan (2007) recognises that the heaviest traffic flows are on the section through Newbury, from where there is large commuter traffic to London. The main pinch point is between Reading West and Southcote Junction where the route is shared with trains to and from Basingstoke and south coast ports. It is forecast that demand for journeys towards London can be met up to 2016 by increased service levels; three trains each hour will be needed to the west of England. By 2026 seating demand is forecast to be in excess of capacity from as far west as Westbury, and by as much as 14%. There are also significant current traffic levels and predicted growth on local services around Exeter.
Accidents
There have been a number of serious accidents on the line over the years. The most recent fatal accident was the derailment of a High Speed TrainHigh Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
from Paddington near Newbury in 2004, following a collision with a car that had been deliberately stopped on a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
. Some of the notable incidents were:
- Ufton NervetUfton Nervet rail crashThe Ufton Nervet rail crash was a railway accident between a train and car near Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, England that caused seven deaths.-Collision:...
near NewburyNewbury railway stationNewbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...
– derailment, 6 November 2004. - TauntonTaunton train fireThe Taunton sleeping car fire occurred in a sleeping car train at Taunton, England in the early hours of 6 July 1978. It killed 12 people and had far-reaching effects for British Rail.- Background :The vehicle involved was no...
– sleeping car fire, 6 July 1978.
Future plans
The section between Reading and Newbury has been earmarked for electrification by 2016 as part of a scheme to electrify the Great Western Main Line. This would allow Intercity services to the South West currently operated by HSTsBritish Rail Class 43 (HST)
The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982....
to be operated by bi-mode versions of the Hitachi Super Express using electric power as far as Newbury instead of Reading. The electrification of the line to Newbury would allow commuter services to using electrically powered trains to run the entire distance from London Paddington to Newbury. These could be the 5-car version of the Super Express but the DfT white paper calls for electric services beyond Reading to be operated by cascaded and completely modernised Thameslink
British Rail Class 319
The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
commuter trains from the end of 2016. This would allow the existing DMUs that operate on this section to be cascaded to the Bristol area, the South West and Northern England. However, since electrification will not extend to Bedwyn, commuter services west of Newbury would have to be operated by DMUs or the bi-mode version of the 5-car Super Express.
In addition to the electrification of the line to Newbury there are to be significant changes to the layout of Reading station. These include the building of a bridge to carry the fast lines of the Great Western Main Line over the Reading to Plymouth Line. There will also be an additional four platforms built on the north side of Reading station to be used for the relief lines whilst the existing platforms will be used exclusively by fast trains to London and the West.
Additional plans for the route include the reduction of the distances between signals west of Newton Abbot; making the down loop at Newbury Racecourse reversible to improve train handling on race days; the extension of the turnback siding at Bedwyn to accommodate six-car DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s; increase line speed as far as Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction
Cogload Junction is a railway junction in Durston, Somerset, England. It is where the 1906-opened London to Penzance Line via Castle Cary joins the original line that runs via Bristol...
; a third track from there and direct access to the northern bay platform at Taunton; allow tilting trains
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of British diesel-electric multiple-unit express trains built by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, entering service on 12 April 2002....
to operate in tilting mode west of Newton Abbot where the curvature severely restricts speeds for conventional trains.
See also
- Disused railway stations (Bristol to Exeter Line)
- Disused railway stations (Exeter to Plymouth Line)Disused railway stations (Exeter to Plymouth Line)There are eleven disused railway stations between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth Millbay, Devon, England. At eight of these there are visible remains.-Background:...