Bruton railway station

Bruton National Rail
Location
Place Bruton
Local authority South Somerset
Coordinates 51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W / 51.11170; -2.44732Coordinates: 51°06′42″N 2°26′50″W / 51.11170°N 2.44732°W / 51.11170; -2.44732
Grid reference ST687347
Operations
Station code BRU
Managed by Great Western Railway
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11 Decrease 25,544
2011/12 Increase 27,362
2012/13 Increase 30,078
2013/14 Increase 32,088
2014/15 Increase 34,096
History
Original company Great Western Railway
1856 Opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Bruton from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

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 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 West Trains.[1]

History

Bruton station in 1963

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1856 on its Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth main line. At that time this was just a single track but a loop was provided at Bruton to allow trains to pass. Stone buildings were erected on both platforms, and a footbridge linked the platforms from 1895. A signal box was provided from 1877 at the west end of the station.[2]

The goods yard, which was on the north side of the line opposite the signal box, was closed on 5 April 1965 and the station was downgraded to an unstaffed halt from 6 October 1969 under the Western Region of British Railways.

Description

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 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.[3]

Services

A train to Weymouth

In 2014 there are eight trains each way during the week and five on Sundays. It is not a regular service; there are some gaps of several hours between trains. To the north services run to and from Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads (either direct or by connection at Westbury). Some are extended beyond Bristol to and from Gloucester. To the south trains run to Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth.[4]

South West Trains operates a direct service from London Waterloo to Yeovil Pen Mill via Warminster and Westbury.[5]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Castle Cary   Great Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line
  Frome
  South West Trains
Heart of Wessex Line
 

References

  1. "New South West Trains timetable 13 December 2015 - 14 May 2016" (PDF). South West Trains. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  2. Oakley, Mike (2006). Somerset Railway Stations. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1-904537-54-5.
  3. English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 7 August 2006)
  4. National Rail Timetable (May 2014), Table 123
  5. "New South West Trains timetable 13 December 2015 - 14 May 2016" (PDF). South West Trains. Retrieved 26 November 2015.

External links

Media related to Bruton railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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