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Coordinates: 51°15′59″N 2°11′58″W / 51.2665°N 2.1995°W / 51.2665; -2.1995
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{{About|the station in Wiltshire, England|the former station in Shropshire, England|Westbury railway station (Shropshire)|the station in New York, USA|Westbury (LIRR station)}}
{{Short description|Railway station in Wiltshire, England}}{{About|the station in Wiltshire, England|the former station in Shropshire, England|Westbury railway station (Shropshire)|the station in New York, USA|Westbury (LIRR station)}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox GB station
{{Infobox station
| name = Westbury
| name = Westbury
| symbol_location = gb
| image_name = Westbury station - FGW 150249.jpg
| caption = View from the north
| symbol = rail
| image = 2015 at Westbury station - ticket office from approach road.JPG
⚫
| locale = [[Westbury, Wiltshire|Westbury]]
| caption = The entrance to the station is at ground level with the platforms behind and above
| borough = [[Wiltshire Council|Wiltshire]]
⚫
| borough = [[Westbury, Wiltshire|Westbury]], [[Wiltshire Council|Wiltshire]]
⚫
| coordinates = {{coord|51.2665|-2.1995|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| code = WSB
| country = England
⚫
| coordinates = {{coord|51.2665|-2.1995|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
⚫
| manager = [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]
| grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| platforms = 3
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|ST861519|25|ST861519}}
<!-- | usage0203 = {{pad|1em}}0.270
⚫
| manager = [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]
| usage0405 = {{increase}} 0.292
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| platforms = 3
⚫
| code = WSB
| usage0607 = {{increase}} 0.318
| classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] D
| usage0708 = {{increase}} 0.345
⚫
| original = [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway]]
| usage0809 = {{increase}} 0.368
⚫
| pregroup = [[Great Western Railway]]
| usage0910 = {{increase}} 0.378
| usage1011 = {{increase}} 0.425
| postgroup = Great Western Railway
⚫
| years = 5 September 1848
| usage1112 = {{increase}} 0.454 -->
⚫
| events = Station opened as terminus of line from {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}
| usage1213 = {{increase}} 0.467
| usage1314 = {{increase}} 0.487
| years1 = 7 October 1850
⚫
| events1 = Line extended to {{stnlnk|Frome}}
| usage1415 = {{increase}} 0.529
| mpassengers = <!--{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2017/18 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.569 million}}
| usage1516 = {{increase}} 0.544
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.549 million}}-->
| usage1617 = {{increase}} 0.578
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 0.558 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.229 million}}
⚫
| years = 5 September 1848
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.152 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 48,500}}
⚫
| events = Station opened as terminus of line from {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.439 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.164 million}}
| years1 = 7 October 1850
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.519 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.247 million}}
⚫
| events1 = Line extended to {{stnlnk|Frome}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.536 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.252 million}}
| symbol = rail
| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
⚫
| owner =
⚫
| original = [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway]]
⚫
| pregroup = [[Great Western Railway]]
| postgroup = Great Western Railway
| gridref = ST861519
| dft_category = D
}}
}}


'''Westbury railway station''' is a [[railway station]] serving the town of [[Westbury, Wiltshire|Westbury]] in [[Wiltshire]], England. The station is managed by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]].
'''Westbury railway station''' serves the market town of [[Westbury, Wiltshire|Westbury]] in [[Wiltshire]], England. The station is managed by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]].


The station is a major [[junction (rail)|junction]], serving the [[Reading to Taunton line]] with services to and from [[Penzance railway station|Penzance]] and [[Paddington railway station|London Paddington]], [[Wessex Main Line]] with services to and from [[Cardiff Central railway station|Cardiff]] and [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth]], services to [[Swindon railway station|Swindon]], [[Heart of Wessex Line]] providing local services from [[Bristol Temple Meads railway station|Bristol Temple Meads]] to [[Weymouth railway station|Weymouth]], and services to [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]].
The station is a major [[junction (rail)|junction]], serving the [[Reading to Taunton line]] with services to and from [[Penzance railway station|Penzance]] and [[Paddington railway station|London Paddington]]; the [[Wessex Main Line]] with services to and from [[Cardiff Central railway station|Cardiff]] and [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth]], also [[Swindon railway station|Swindon]]; the [[Heart of Wessex Line]] with local services from [[Bristol Temple Meads railway station|Bristol Temple Meads]] to [[Weymouth railway station|Weymouth]]; and services to [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]].


The buffet at Westbury appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2009.<ref>{{cite web | last = Wills | first = Dixe | title = Ten of the best railway cafes | publisher = Guardian | date = 2009-05-12 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/12/railway-station-cafes-uk-food | accessdate = 2009-06-30}}</ref>
The buffet at Westbury appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2009.<ref>{{cite news | last = Wills | first = Dixe | title = Ten of the best railway cafes | newspaper = Guardian | date = 2009-05-12 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/12/railway-station-cafes-uk-food | access-date = 2009-06-30}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
⚫
The station was opened by the [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway]] on 5 September 1848,<ref name=Butt>{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=244 }}</ref> and was the initial terminus of their line from {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}. This line was later extended to {{stnlnk|Frome}}, which opened on 7 October 1850.<ref>{{harvnb|Butt|1995|p=100}}</ref> The [[Salisbury branch line (Great Western Railway)|Salisbury branch]] opened on 30 June 1856, whilst the opening of the [[Stert and Westbury Railway|line to Patney & Chirton]] in 1900 (along with that further west from [[Castle Cary]] to [[Cogload Junction]] six years later) completed the GWR's new main line from [[Paddington railway station|London Paddington]] to {{stnlnk|Taunton}} and beyond.
[[File:Westbury routes.png|thumb|left|alt=A map of the rail routes radiating from Westbury to (clockwise from top left)Bristol/Chippenham, London, Salisbury, Weymouth/Penzance. Not to scale.|Railway routes around Westbury in 2009]]
⚫
The station was opened by the [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway]] (WS&WR) on 5 September 1848,<ref name=Butt>{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=244 |ref=harv }}</ref> and was the initial terminus of the WS&WR line from {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}. This line was later extended to {{stnlnk|Frome}}, which opened on 7 October 1850.<ref>{{harvnb|Butt|1995|p=100}}</ref> The [[Salisbury branch line (Great Western Railway)|Salisbury branch]] opened on 30 June 1856, whilst the opening of the [[Stert and Westbury Railway|line to Patney & Chirton]] in 1900 (along with that further west from [[Castle Cary]] to [[Cogload Junction]] six years later) completed the GWR's new main line from [[London Paddington]] to {{stnlnk|Taunton}} and beyond.


In the 1880s, the station was one of the meeting places of the South and West Wilts Hunt.<ref>''Hunting Appointments'' in ''The Times'', 8 March 1884, pg. 7, col. E</ref>
In the 1880s, the station was one of the meeting places of the South and West Wilts Hunt.<ref>''Hunting Appointments'' in ''The Times'', 8 March 1884, pg. 7, col. E</ref>


In 1899, Westbury station was entirely rebuilt to cater for the 1900 line, creating two [[island platform]]s six hundred feet long and forty feet wide.<ref>{{cite book|ref=harv|last1=Oakley|first1=Mike|title=Wiltshire Railway Stations|date=2004|publisher=The Dovecote Press|location=Wimborne|isbn=1904349331|pages=140–141}}</ref><ref>''New Route to Weymouth'' in ''The Times'', 2 July 1901, pg. 10, col. C</ref> It has since been rebuilt and remodelled several times, most recently when the area was resignalled in 1985 (when the Down Salisbury platform line was lifted), but without changing the underlying form created in 1901. In 2013 the Swindon and Wiltshire [[Local transport bodies|Local Transport Body]] prioritised the reopening of this platform face at an estimated cost of £5.4m.<ref name="Transport Schemes">{{cite web|title=Transport Schemes - Prioritisation Process and Provisional Programme, Agenda Item 6, Table 5: Prioritised Schemes|url=http://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s49384/SWLTB%20-Final%20Scheme%20Prioritisation%20Report%20Draft%20-%20Final%20-%2028%20Jun%2013.pdf|accessdate=28 June 2015}}</ref> A freight yard next to the station is used by bulk limestone trains from the rail-served quarries at [[Torr Works|Merehead]] and [[Whatley Quarry|Whatley]] in [[Somerset]].<ref>[http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Westbury Railscot - Photos of Westbury] www.railbrit.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-09-17</ref> In April 2009 the rail-served Lafarge cement works to the east closed and was mothballed.<ref>{{cite news|author=James Williams |date=1 May 2009 |title=Lafarge cements a place in county's history |url=http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/4336329.Lafarge_cements_a_place_in_county_s_history/ |newspaper=Wiltshire Times|location= Trowbridge, UK|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref>
In 1899, Westbury station was entirely rebuilt to cater for the 1900 line, creating two [[island platform]]s six hundred feet long and forty feet wide.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Oakley|first1=Mike|title=Wiltshire Railway Stations|date=2004|publisher=The Dovecote Press|location=Wimborne|isbn=1904349331|pages=140–141}}</ref><ref>''New Route to Weymouth'' in ''The Times'', 2 July 1901, pg. 10, col. C</ref> It has since been rebuilt and remodelled several times, most recently when the area was resignalled in 1985 (when the Down Salisbury platform line was lifted), but without changing the underlying form created in 1901. In 2013 the Swindon and Wiltshire [[Local transport bodies|Local Transport Body]] prioritised the reopening of this platform face at an estimated cost of £5.4m.<ref name="Transport Schemes">{{cite web|title=Transport Schemes - Prioritisation Process and Provisional Programme, Agenda Item 6, Table 5: Prioritised Schemes|url=http://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s49384/SWLTB%20-Final%20Scheme%20Prioritisation%20Report%20Draft%20-%20Final%20-%2028%20Jun%2013.pdf|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref>


[[File:Westbury routes.png|thumb|left|alt=A map of the rail routes radiating from Westbury to (clockwise from top left)Bristol/Chippenham, London, Salisbury, Weymouth/Penzance. Not to scale.|Railway routes around Westbury in 2009]]A freight yard next to the station is used by bulk limestone trains from the rail-served quarries at [[Torr Works|Merehead]] and [[Whatley Quarry|Whatley]] in Somerset.<ref>[http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Westbury Railscot - Photos of Westbury] www.railbrit.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-09-17</ref> In April 2009 the rail-served [[Lafarge (company)|Lafarge]] cement works to the east was closed.<ref>{{cite news|author=James Williams |date=1 May 2009 |title=Lafarge cements a place in county's history |url=http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/4336329.Lafarge_cements_a_place_in_county_s_history/ |newspaper=Wiltshire Times|location= Trowbridge, UK|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref>
⚫
==Accidents and incidents==

⚫
*On 28 October 1873, a mail train passed a signal at danger and collided with a luggage train.<ref name=PMG291073>{{cite news |title=Collision on the North Western Railway |newspaper=The Pall Mall Gazette |location=London |date=29 October 1875 |issue=2716}}</ref>
⚫
=== Accidents and incidents ===
⚫
*On 6 December 2011, a train was derailed at Westbury.<ref name=BBC16045210>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16045210 |title=Train derails at Westbury causing rail delays |publisher=BBC News Online |date=6 December 2011 |accessdate=21 March 2017}}</ref>
⚫
On 28 October 1873, a mail train passed a signal at danger and collided with a luggage train.<ref name="PMG291073">{{cite news |title=Collision on the North Western Railway |newspaper=The Pall Mall Gazette |location=London |date=29 October 1875 |issue=2716}}</ref>

⚫
On 6 December 2011, a train was derailed at Westbury.<ref name="BBC16045210">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16045210 |title=Train derails at Westbury causing rail delays |work=BBC News Online |date=6 December 2011 |access-date=21 March 2017}}</ref>

⚫
{{Clear}}


==Services==
==Services==
⚫
[[File:Westbury - GWR 800302 and SWR 159106.JPG |thumb|left|A [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] {{brc|800}} from [[London Paddington station|London Paddington]] and a [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]] {{brc|159}} going to [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]]]][[File:Westbury Railway Station, 8 June 2020.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.8|View of the station]]The station is served by all three main routes that pass through it. On the main Reading to Taunton Line, the station is served by westbound trains to one of {{stnlnk|Exeter St Davids}}, {{stnlnk|Paignton}}, {{stnlnk|Plymouth}}, or {{stnlnk|Penzance}}; and eastbound services to {{stnlnk|London Paddington}}, which depart approximately once every two hours.<ref>GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 135</ref>
[[File:Westbury dusk 150249.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|First Great Western]] train from {{stnlnk|Weymouth}} to [[Bristol Temple Meads railway station|Bristol]]]]
⚫
The station is served by all three main routes that pass through it. On the main Reading to Taunton Line, the station is served by westbound trains to one of {{stnlnk|Exeter St Davids}}, {{stnlnk|Plymouth}}, or {{stnlnk|Penzance}}; and eastbound services to {{stnlnk|London Paddington}}.<ref>GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 135</ref>


There is a service on the {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} to {{stnlnk|Southampton Central}} and {{stnlnk|Portsmouth Harbour}} [[Wessex Main Line]], and a separate service between {{stnlnk|Gloucester}}, Bristol and Westbury on this route. Some of these trains continue through to Weymouth and in the opposite direction certain trains extend through to {{rws|Cheltenham Spa}} and {{rws|Great Malvern}}. Others run to Frome, Warminster and Southampton, along with through trains to and from {{stnlnk|Brighton}}.<ref name=GBRT>GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 123</ref>
There is a service on the {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} to {{stnlnk|Southampton Central}} and {{stnlnk|Portsmouth Harbour}} [[Wessex Main Line]], and a separate service between {{stnlnk|Gloucester}}, Bristol and Westbury on this route. Some of these trains continue through to Weymouth and in the opposite direction certain trains extend through to {{rws|Cheltenham Spa}} and {{rws|Great Malvern}}. Others run to Frome, Warminster and Southampton.<ref name=GBRT>GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 123</ref>


⚫
There are also services between Westbury and {{stnlnk|Swindon}} via {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}, {{rws|Trowbridge}} and {{stnlnk|Melksham}}, marketed as the [[TransWilts Line]]. The frequency on this route was improved substantially (to eight trains each way weekdays, five on Sundays) at the December 2013 timetable change.<ref name=GBRT />
[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]] runs a service between Bristol and {{stnlink|London Waterloo}} via {{rws|Salisbury}} that calls here.<ref>[http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/May16/timetables/Table%20160.pdf National Rail Timetable 2016, Table 160]''Network Rail'';Retrieved 5 October 2016</ref> There are also limited services to [[Yeovil Pen Mill]].


⚫
There are also services between Westbury and {{stnlnk|Swindon}} via {{stnlnk|Chippenham}}, {{rws|Trowbridge}} and {{stnlnk|Melksham}}, on the original Wilts, Somerset & Weymouth line. The frequency on this route was improved substantially (to eight trains each way weekdays, five on Sundays) at the December 2013 timetable change.<ref name=GBRT />
{{rail start}}
{{rail start}}
{{rail line|previous=[[Pewsey railway station|Pewsey]] or [[Newbury railway station|Newbury]]|next=[[Castle Cary railway station|Castle Cary]]|route=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Reading to Taunton line]]</small> |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Pewsey}} |next={{stnlnk|Castle Cary}}|route=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br />([[Reading to Taunton line|London to Devon and Cornwall]]) |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line one to three|next1=[[Frome railway station|Frome]]|next2=[[Dilton Marsh railway station|Dilton Marsh]]|next3=''Terminus'' or [[Warminster railway station|Warminster]]|previous=[[Trowbridge railway station|Trowbridge]] or ''Terminus'' |route1=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Heart of Wessex Line|Wessex Line (Limited Service)]]</small>|route2=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Wessex Main Line]]</small>|route3=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Wessex Main Line#Chippenham branch|Swindon-Westbury/Southampton (Limited Service)]]</small> |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line one to two|next1={{stnlnk|Dilton Marsh}} or {{stnlnk|Warminster}}|next2={{stnlnk|Frome}} |previous={{stnlnk|Trowbridge}} |route1=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br />([[Wessex Main Line]])|route2=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br />([[Heart of Wessex Line]]) |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line|next=[[Frome railway station|Frome]]|route=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>Weymouth Wizard<br>(Summer Saturdays Only)</small>|previous=[[Trowbridge railway station|Trowbridge]] |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line|next={{stnlnk|Frome}}|route=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br />(Basingstoke - Yeovil) |previous={{stnlnk|Warminster}} |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{s-end}}{{Clear}}

{{rail line|next=[[Warminster railway station|Warminster]]|route=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Wessex Main Line|Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour]]</small>|previous=[[Trowbridge railway station|Trowbridge]] |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{rail line|next=[[Warminster railway station|Warminster]]|route=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Wessex Main Line|London Waterloo - Bristol (Limited Service)]]</small>|previous=[[Trowbridge railway station|Trowbridge]] |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{rail line|next=Terminus or [[Warminster railway station|Warminster]]|route=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br><small>[[Heart of Wessex Line]] (Limited Service)</small>|previous=[[Frome railway station|Frome]] |col={{SWR colour}} }}
⚫
{{s-end}}


== Future ==
== Future ==
At present,{{Clarify timeframe|date=October 2016}} the line to Westbury is not due to be electrified as part of the [[21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line]]. Although local councillors support it, the extension of electrification beyond {{rws|Newbury}} to Westbury was assessed as having a [[benefit–cost ratio]] of only 0.31.<ref name="rail726">{{cite magazine|title=Government commits to long-term rail investment|date=10–23 July 2013|author=Haigh, Philip|magazine=[[RAIL (magazine)|RAIL]]|volume=726|page=8}}</ref>
The line to Westbury is not due to be electrified as part of the [[21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line]]. Although local councillors support it, the extension of electrification beyond {{rws|Newbury}} to Westbury was assessed as having a [[benefit–cost ratio]] of only 0.31.<ref name="rail726">{{cite magazine|title=Government commits to long-term rail investment|date=10–23 July 2013|author=Haigh, Philip|magazine=[[Rail (magazine)|Rail]]|volume=726|page=8}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{commons category}}
{{commons category}}
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcCxOT2ZLMQ Video footage of Westbury railway station]


{{Bristol railway stations}}
{{Bristol railway stations}}
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{{SWT Stations|Salisbury=y|Suburban None=y|IL None=y}}
{{SWT Stations|Salisbury=y|Suburban None=y|IL None=y}}


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[[Category:Railway stations in Wiltshire]]
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[[Category:Railway stations opened in 1848]]
[[Category:Former Great Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Former Great Western Railway stations]]
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[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Great Western Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Great Western Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Westbury, Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Westbury, Wiltshire]]
⚫
[[Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway]]
[[Category:DfT Category D stations]]

Latest revision as of 20:24, 22 November 2024

This article is about the station in Wiltshire, England. For the former station in Shropshire, England, see Westbury railway station (Shropshire). For the station in New York, USA, see Westbury (LIRR station).

Westbury
National Rail
The entrance to the station is at ground level with the platforms behind and above
General information
LocationWestbury, Wiltshire
England
Coordinates51°15′59″N 2°11′58″W / 51.2665°N 2.1995°W / 51.2665; -2.1995
Grid referenceST861519
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeWSB
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original companyWilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
5 September 1848Station opened as terminus of line from Chippenham
7 October 1850Line extended to Frome
Passengers
2019/20Increase 0.558 million
 Interchange Decrease 0.229 million
2020/21Decrease 0.152 million
 Interchange Decrease 48,500
2021/22Increase 0.439 million
 Interchange Increase 0.164 million
2022/23Increase 0.519 million
 Interchange Increase 0.247 million
2023/24Increase 0.536 million
 Interchange Increase 0.252 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Westbury railway station serves the market town of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway.

The station is a major junction, serving the Reading to Taunton line with services to and from Penzance and London Paddington; the Wessex Main Line with services to and from Cardiff and Portsmouth, also Swindon; the Heart of Wessex Line with local services from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth; and services to London Waterloo.

The buffet at Westbury appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in The Guardian in 2009.[1]

History

[edit]

The station was opened by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway on 5 September 1848,[2] and was the initial terminus of their line from Chippenham. This line was later extended to Frome, which opened on 7 October 1850.[3] The Salisbury branch opened on 30 June 1856, whilst the opening of the line to Patney & Chirton in 1900 (along with that further west from Castle Cary to Cogload Junction six years later) completed the GWR's new main line from London Paddington to Taunton and beyond.

In the 1880s, the station was one of the meeting places of the South and West Wilts Hunt.[4]

In 1899, Westbury station was entirely rebuilt to cater for the 1900 line, creating two island platforms six hundred feet long and forty feet wide.[5][6] It has since been rebuilt and remodelled several times, most recently when the area was resignalled in 1985 (when the Down Salisbury platform line was lifted), but without changing the underlying form created in 1901. In 2013 the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Transport Body prioritised the reopening of this platform face at an estimated cost of £5.4m.[7]

A map of the rail routes radiating from Westbury to (clockwise from top left)Bristol/Chippenham, London, Salisbury, Weymouth/Penzance. Not to scale.
Railway routes around Westbury in 2009

A freight yard next to the station is used by bulk limestone trains from the rail-served quarries at Merehead and Whatley in Somerset.[8] In April 2009 the rail-served Lafarge cement works to the east was closed.[9]

Accidents and incidents

[edit]

On 28 October 1873, a mail train passed a signal at danger and collided with a luggage train.[10]

On 6 December 2011, a train was derailed at Westbury.[11]

Services

[edit]
A Great Western Railway Class 800 from London Paddington and a South Western Railway Class 159 going to London Waterloo
View of the station

The station is served by all three main routes that pass through it. On the main Reading to Taunton Line, the station is served by westbound trains to one of Exeter St Davids, Paignton, Plymouth, or Penzance; and eastbound services to London Paddington, which depart approximately once every two hours.[12]

There is a service on the Cardiff Central to Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour Wessex Main Line, and a separate service between Gloucester, Bristol and Westbury on this route. Some of these trains continue through to Weymouth and in the opposite direction certain trains extend through to Cheltenham Spa and Great Malvern. Others run to Frome, Warminster and Southampton.[13]

There are also services between Westbury and Swindon via Chippenham, Trowbridge and Melksham, marketed as the TransWilts Line. The frequency on this route was improved substantially (to eight trains each way weekdays, five on Sundays) at the December 2013 timetable change.[13]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Pewsey   Great Western Railway
(London to Devon and Cornwall) 		  Castle Cary
Trowbridge   Great Western Railway
(Wessex Main Line) 		  Dilton Marsh or Warminster
  Great Western Railway
(Heart of Wessex Line) 		  Frome
Warminster   South Western Railway
(Basingstoke - Yeovil) 		  Frome

Future

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The line to Westbury is not due to be electrified as part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line. Although local councillors support it, the extension of electrification beyond Newbury to Westbury was assessed as having a benefit–cost ratio of only 0.31.[14]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westbury railway station.
  1. ^ Wills, Dixe (12 May 2009). "Ten of the best railway cafes". Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  2. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 244. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ Butt 1995, p. 100
  4. ^ Hunting Appointments in The Times, 8 March 1884, pg. 7, col. E
  5. ^ Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 1904349331.
  6. ^ New Route to Weymouth in The Times, 2 July 1901, pg. 10, col. C
  7. ^ "Transport Schemes - Prioritisation Process and Provisional Programme, Agenda Item 6, Table 5: Prioritised Schemes" (PDF). Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  8. ^ Railscot - Photos of Westbury www.railbrit.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-09-17
  9. ^ James Williams (1 May 2009). "Lafarge cements a place in county's history". Wiltshire Times. Trowbridge, UK. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Collision on the North Western Railway". The Pall Mall Gazette. No. 2716. London. 29 October 1875.
  11. ^ "Train derails at Westbury causing rail delays". BBC News Online. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  12. ^ GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 135
  13. ^ a b GB National Rail Timetable May–December 2016, Table 123
  14. ^ Haigh, Philip (10–23 July 2013). "Government commits to long-term rail investment". Rail. Vol. 726. p. 8.
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