Bedwyn railway station

Bedwyn railway station serves the village of Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. It is 66 miles 33 chains (66.41 mi; 106.9 km) from the zero point at London Paddington.[1] Along with Pewsey station, it serves the market town of Marlborough which is 6 miles (10 km) away. A bus from the town connects with most trains on Mondays to Saturdays.

Bedwyn
National Rail
General information
LocationGreat Bedwyn, Wiltshire
England
Coordinates51°22′48″N 1°35′56″W / 51.380°N 1.599°W / 51.380; -1.599
Grid referenceSU279645
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeBDW
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Opened1862
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.109 million
2019/20Increase 0.130 million
2020/21Decrease 20,398
2021/22Increase 74,180
2022/23Increase 81,534
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
Station approach in 1963

History

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Bedwyn station was opened on 11 November 1862 by the Great Western Railway company as part of the Berks and Hants Railway from Hungerford to Devizes;[2] the line continues in use as part of the Reading to Taunton Line. In 1900 the Stert and Westbury Railway allowed Devizes to be bypassed, and Westbury became the next major station west of Bedwyn.

In 1905, to cater for traffic for army camps on Salisbury Plain, the line west of Bedwyn was linked (via the Grafton Curve and a bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal) to Grafton and Burbage on the north-south Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway.[3] This line was closed in 1961.

Facilities

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The station has basic facilities including a bus-type shelter on both sides and information screens. The only crossing between platforms is via the road bridge over the railway.

Services

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The station is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway to and from London Paddington via Reading and Newbury.[4] Local trains terminate at Bedwyn, and a crossover and siding at the west of the station allow them to reverse and lay over before returning east. The station is also served by a limited number of services that continue to/from Exeter St Davids and Plymouth via Taunton.[5]

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Hungerford   Great Western Railway
Paddington to Bedwyn
Local Services
Reading – Taunton line
  Terminus
  Great Western Railway
Reading – Taunton Line
  Pewsey
  Historical railways  
Hungerford
Line and station open
  Great Western Railway
Berks and Hants Extension Railway
  Savernake Low Level
Line open, station closed
Disused railways
Grafton and Burbage   Midland and South Western Junction Railway   Savernake Low Level

References

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  1. ^ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 12B. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
  2. ^ Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 14. ISBN 1904349331.
  3. ^ "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 16 pp8-49 - Great Bedwyn". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  4. ^ Table 116 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  5. ^ Table 135 National Rail timetable, May 2016
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