Cricklade railway station

Cricklade railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway in Wiltshire, England. The station opened on 18 December 1883 on the Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway line from Swindon Town to the temporary terminus at Cirencester Watermoor. The S&CER line then amalgamated with the Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway to form the M&SWJR, and through services to the junction at Andoversford with the Great Western Railway's Cheltenham Lansdown to Banbury line, which had opened in 1881, began in 1891.

Cricklade
General information
Location	Cricklade, Wiltshire England
Coordinates	51.6396°N 1.8609°W / 51.6396; -1.8609
Grid reference	SU097934
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
18 December 1883 (1883-12-18)	Station opened
11 September 1961 (1961-09-11)	Station closed for passengers
July 1963	closed for goods

Cricklade station was on the southern edge of the town of Cricklade, and was a passing place on the M&SWJR line, which was mostly single track. It was one of the busier stations on the line, with both passengers and freight traffic, and there was a large volume of milk traffic.

As a whole, traffic on the M&SWJR fell steeply after the Second World War and the line closed to passengers in 1961, with goods facilities at Cricklade being withdrawn in July 1963. No trace of the station remains, as link roads around the town now use the rail alignment and land beside the roads has been used for housing.

Future and preservation

The Heritage Swindon and Cricklade Railway aim to extend north to Cricklade, where a new station site would be constructed as part of the S&CR's northern extension.

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Cerney and Ashton Keynes Line and station closed		Midland and South Western Junction Railway Swindon & Cheltenham Extension Railway		Blunsdon Line closed; station open
	Proposed Heritage railways
Terminus		Swindon & Cricklade Railway		Hayes Knoll Line and station closed

References

• Wiltshire Railway Stations, Mike Oakley, Dovecote Press, Wimborne, 2004, ISBN 1-904349-33-1. pp.46