The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK, running from Narroways Junction to Severn Beach. Passenger rail services run from Bristol Temple Meads station to Severn Beach, via eight local stations. The line was recently highlighted by Thomas Cook as one of the scenic lines of Europe. Bristol is a unitary authority with city and ceremonial county status in South West England. ... Severn Beach is a small town on the mouth of the river Severn in South Gloucestershire in England. ... The original station (left) closed in 1965. ... A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ...

History

The first part of the line was called the 'Bristol Port Railway and Pier'. Work began 1863 and the line was opened two years later on 6 March 1865 with six trains each way on weekdays and four on Sundays. March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

It originally ran from Clifton station in Hotwells, (an area west of Bristol city centre), to Avonmouth via Sea Mills and Shirehampton. Clifton station was located between the Suspension Bridge and Bridge Valley Road. The crowded Princess Victoria Street lies at the heart of Clifton Village Clifton is an urban village in Bristol, England. ... Categories: Stub | Bristol | Ports and harbours of the UK ... Shirehampton is a village near Avonmouth, at the edge of Bristol, England. ... The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. ...

At this point therefore the railway was totally isolated from the rest of the national network and because of poor finances of the company, plans to extend the railway into the city centre and Temple Meads station were not realised for several more years.

The Great Western Railway company who ran the Great Western Mainline and the Midland Railway Company which ran the Bristol to Bath Railway and the rest of the midland network decided to jointly fund a branch to Clifton Down connecting to both of their networks at Narroways Junction. This development was accompanied by the opening of Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road and Montpelier stations. It was quite an achievement, running though cuttings, and tunnels and over embankments and viaducts, the longest and highest as the train travels between Montpellier and Redland. The new section was opened on 1 October 1874. The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

This led the way to join the two railways up via a mile long tunnel underneath Clifton Down. The section from Clifton Down station to Snyed Park Junction where it connected to the Bristol Port Railway was finally opened eleven years later on 1 September 1885. As a result of this Clifton Station was renamed Hotwells and the station from here to Snyed Park Junction track which roughly followed the path of present day A4 Bristol Portway survived until 1922 when it was demolished to build the road. Categories: Stub | Bristol ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The A4 at Hotwells in Bristol The A4 crosses Picadilly Circus in central London The A4 is a major road in England, also known as the Great West Road. ...

The residents of Redland successfully petitioned for a station and in April 1897 one was opened close to the Lovers Walk bridge. Unusually the ticket office was on the bridge rather then the platform. St. Andrews Road station was opened in March 1917 in order to serve the munitions factory there which was expected to help with the war effort. Finally Severn Beach station was opened in April 1922. Redland and Kingsdown at dawn Redland is an affluent inner suburb and parish in Bristol, England. ...

The line today

Passenger services are operated by Wessex Trains using Class 143, Class 150 or Class 153 diesel multiple unit today. Seven services a day run all the way from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach with a further seven terminating at Avonmouth. Curiously, as trains run to Severn Beach during peak times, the frequency of services is actually reduced during the morning and evening peak because of the longer distance to Severn Beach. Class 153 unit no. ... 143 603 at Bristol Temple Meads, 28 June 2005. ... Class 150/2, no. ... Class 153, no. ... DMU of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznan, Poland A diesel multiple unit (DMU) can be: a multiple unit powered by a diesel engine. ...

On Saturdays all 15 services go to Severn Beach. There is no Sunday service.

The route has been used as a diversionary route for trains traveling north from Bristol, when the normal route is closed for engineering in the past. A freight-only line known as the 'Henbury Loop' connects Avonmouth with Bristol Parkway station on the London-South Wales and Bristol-Birmingham routes. Bristol Parkway is a railway station on the northern edge of Bristol (England), at Stoke Gifford in South Gloucestershire. ... The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. ... The North-East/South-West route (sometimes simply The Cross Country Route) is the name given to a major British rail route, running from South-West England via Bristol, Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield to North-East England and Scotland. ...

External links

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/series6/railway.shtml – general information
• http://www.david.frih.net/severn/ - the main source for the historical data included above
• http://www.fosbr.org.uk/ - Friends of Surburban Bristol Railways.