A much-anticipated new train station in a South Gloucestershire village, initially projected to open at the end of last year, has had its opening delayed until three years from now. Charfield train station, which received planning permission in March 2023 and is situated along the Bristol to Gloucester railway line, will now welcome passengers in the coming years.
The absence of a train station in Charfield has been felt for six decades after the previous one was closed due to the Beeching cuts. Despite discussions stretching back over thirty years, it wasn’t until 2023 that plans finally solidified with approved planning permission.
Set to be constructed on land adjacent to Station Road in the heart of the village, the new £22 million facility will feature two platforms accompanied by a pedestrian footbridge, bus stop provisions, sheltered spots for bicycles, and car parking facilities.
With construction yet to kick off, the initial hope of unveiling the station by the end of 2024 has been postponed. An application made by South Gloucestershire Council and Network Rail in July 2024 introduced a ‘Parts Plan’, aimed at satisfying various preconditions and allowing phased development, thereby ensuring the “timely opening of the railway station” in spring 2027.
This application secured approval in September 2024, alongside minor modifications to certain conditions. Several conditions have been discharged to date, with the most recent one being on December 30, resulting in a total of nine fully discharged conditions. However, there are still several conditions that impact the commencement date of the development, as well as additional conditions affecting the progression of the development and the opening of the train station.
The new train station would also have a pedestrian footbridge, a bus stop, covered cycle parking and suitable car parking.
(Image: South Gloucestershire Council/ Network Rail)
The design and access statement, submitted in September 2022, highlighted the necessity for a train station in Charfield: “In the local area of Charfield and neighbouring settlements there are limited public transport alternatives, which has led to high car dependency for travel to major employment hubs within the north fringe of Bristol, Bristol City Centre and Gloucester. There are 14,500 residents within a 5km radius of the application site, living in Charfield, neighbouring market town of Wotton-Under-Edge and a number of surrounding settlements.”
“There are infrequent bus services and long journey times between Charfield, Gloucester and Bristol with only 1% of residents currently commuting to work by public transport. The construction of a railway station at Charfield will provide an attractive alternative to car-based trips for a range of journey purposes, enhancing accessibility to jobs, further and higher education sites located near Bristol Parkway and Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Temple Meads, and centres of culture, tourism, leisure, and retail including Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare and Gloucester.”
There would be two platforms at the station, providing services to Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester train stations.
(Image: South Gloucestershire Council/ Network Rail)
The proposed station would offer hourly train services for locals to Bristol Parkway (in 18 minutes), Bristol Temple Meads (in 32 minutes) and Gloucester (in 22 minutes). The construction phase is anticipated to span between 12 and 18 months.
The station is also a part of the planned MetroWest network, which continues to progress with the reopening of the Portishead line. Charfield station is included in the second phase of the MetroWest project, which will see the Henbury line reopened with three new stations (one of which, Ashley Down, is already operational), and the Yate and Gloucester line offering a half-hourly service between Temple Meads and Gloucester via Yate.
According to South Gloucestershire Council’s website, preparatory works on the site are set to commence this month. Construction is scheduled to take place from 2025, leading up to the station’s opening in 2027.