Charfield
General information
LocationCharfield, South Gloucestershire
England
Coordinates51°37′41″N 2°23′59″W / 51.628051°N 2.399764°W / 51.628051; -2.399764
Grid referenceST723922
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBristol and Gloucester Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Key dates
8 July 1844 (1844-07-08)Opened
4 January 1965 (1965-01-04)Station closed to passengers
6 September 1965 (1965-09-06)Station closed to goods
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFORMER BOOKING HALL AND WAITING ROOM AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROAD
Designated5 June 1984 (1984-06-05)
Reference no.1114969[1]
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFORMER STATIONMASTER'S HOUSE AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROAD
Designated5 June 1984 (1984-06-05)
Reference no.1321194[2]

Charfield railway station served the village of Charfield in South Gloucestershire, England. The station was on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the Midland Railway and converted to standard gauge.

History

Charfield station opened with the Bristol and Gloucester line on 8 July 1844 and had substantial Brunel-designed buildings on both platforms. There were sidings to the north and south, and those to the north were converted to loops to allow slow trains to be overtaken by faster trains.

In 1928, the Charfield railway disaster occurred when a southbound night-time mail train overran signals into a goods train manoeuvring into these sidings, and in the collision the mail train was diverted into the path of a northbound freight train. Gas from the mail train ignited and 15 people died in the blaze. According to some accounts, among them were two children whose identity was never established.[3]

Passenger services were withdrawn from Charfield on 4 January 1965[4] with the removal of stopping services on the Bristol to Gloucester line. Goods services were withdrawn on 6 September of the same year. The main station building and the station master's house remain, in residential use.[5]

Proposed reopening

Services between Bristol and Birmingham pass through Charfield. There have been discussions about the viability of reopening the station. The costs would be shared between Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire councils since, although the station would be in South Gloucestershire, the nearby town of Wotton-under-Edge would be a principal beneficiary.

In February 2019, the West of England Combined Authority announced a £500,000 feasibility study into plans for two new bypasses and work to see whether Charfield is viable for reopening to passengers.[6] In June 2019, a further £900,000 was allocated for the production of a full business case for the reopening of the station.[7]

The January 2020 version of the Joint Local Transport Plan 4 (JLTP4, led by the West of England Combined Authority[8]) proposed to deliver by 2023–2024 a "New station at Charfield funded through the WECA Investment Fund, to support housing growth".[9]

In June 2020, Councillor Toby Savage, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, mentioned the possibility of re-opening Charfield station during an announcement of plans for enhanced services between Bristol and Gloucester.[10]

A plan agreed by the West of England Combined Authority on 8 December 2020 set out projects that could potentially be delivered between 2020 and 2030, including the reopening of Charfield station.[11]

A 12-week public consultation on the re-opening proposals was held between 19 October 2021 and 10 January 2022, with the new station proposed to open at the end of 2024.[12]

Planning permission for the new station (South Gloucestershire Council, ref P22/05778/R3F) was granted in March 2023.

Services

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Wickwar
Line open, station closed		   Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Midland Railway		   Berkeley Road
Line open, station closed
Disused railways
Terminus   Sharpness Branch Line
Midland Railway		   Berkeley
Line and station closed
  Proposed services  
Yate   Great Western Railway
MetroWest		   Cam and Dursley

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charfield railway station.
  1. ↑ Historic England. "FORMER BOOKING HALL AND WAITING ROOM AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROAD (Grade II) (1114969)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "FORMER STATIONMASTER'S HOUSE AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROAD (Grade II) (1321194)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Mystery of train death children". BBC News Online. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  4. ↑ Avon County Planning Department (1983). Railways in Avon: A Short History of Their Development and Decline. County of Avon.
  5. ↑ Mike Oakley (2003). Gloucestershire Railway Stations. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 1-904349-24-2.
  6. ↑ "Two north Bristol bypass routes and new train station planned". BBC News. 25 February 2019.
  7. ↑ Mabe, Huw (15 June 2019). "Funding for Yate Park and Ride and new Charfield Station announced". Gloucestershire Gazette.
  8. ↑ "Joint Local Transport Plan - Combined Authority". Westofengland-ca.gov.uk. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Joint Local Transport Plan 4 2020-2036" (PDF). S3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com. January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Plans for more rail services in Yate and Severn Beach one step closer". Gazetteseries.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Latest News - West of England Combined Authority". Westofengland-ca.gov.uk.
  12. ↑ "Charfield Train Station". beta.southglos.gov.uk.


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