The Gloucester–Newport line is a railway line that runs along the west bank of the
River Severn in the
United Kingdom between
Gloucester and
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
.
Originally part of the
South Wales Railway on the main route from
London before the construction of the
Severn Tunnel; today it is an important link between the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
.
Route
The places served by the route are:
*
Gloucester
** Connections along the
Golden Valley line to
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
*
Lydney
** Connection with
Dean Forest Railway
The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
The route was part of the former Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that ope ...
*
Chepstow
*
Caldicot Caldicot may refer to:
* Caldicot, Buckinghamshire
* Caldicot, Monmouthshire
* Caldicot (hundred)
* Caldicot Castle, Monmouthshire
* Caldicot railway station, a part of the British railway system
* Caldicot RFC, a Welsh rugby union club
* Caldico ...
*
Severn Tunnel Junction
, name_etymology =
, image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG
, image_size = 288
, image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle
, map = RiverSevernMap.jpg
, map_size = 288
, map_c ...
located in
Rogiet
*
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
** Connections with
South Wales Main Line and
Welsh Marches line
Local passenger services are currently provided by
Transport for Wales, with an approximately hourly service in each direction on the
Cheltenham Spa to
Maesteg service. These are supplemented by
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
services between
Cardiff Central and
Nottingham, which serve
Gloucester and
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, serving either
Lydney or
Chepstow then fast to for example. The intermediate stations are omitted except during the early morning and late evening.
Although
Caldicot Caldicot may refer to:
* Caldicot, Buckinghamshire
* Caldicot, Monmouthshire
* Caldicot (hundred)
* Caldicot Castle, Monmouthshire
* Caldicot railway station, a part of the British railway system
* Caldicot RFC, a Welsh rugby union club
* Caldico ...
and
Severn Tunnel Junction
, name_etymology =
, image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG
, image_size = 288
, image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle
, map = RiverSevernMap.jpg
, map_size = 288
, map_c ...
stations are only apart, Caldicot's growth as a dormitory for the new
Llanwern steelworks kept it open in 1964 when other small stations were closed under ''
The Reshaping of British Railways
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...
''. Severn Tunnel Junction had important roles at this time as the junction for the
Severn Tunnel, the large coal marshalling yards and a new diesel depot, replacing the previous steam locomotive depot. Severn Tunnel Junction also serves the village of
Rogiet and is where this line merges with the South Wales Main Line through the Severn Tunnel, so it is also a stop on the
Cardiff Central-
Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...
-
Portsmouth Harbour service.
In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering
electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options to do so by 2000. Options included electrifying numerous former Great Western routes including the Gloucester to Newport line. Under the
1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the
1976–79 Labour government the proposal was not implemented.
Accidents and incidents
* On 16 February 1880, a freight train was derailed when it was in collision with a large rock that had fallen onto the line south of station,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
.
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Dudley Mall - Railway directory - Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester-Newport line
Railway lines in Wales
Rail transport in Gloucestershire
Transport in Newport, Wales
Railway lines in South West England
Standard gauge railways in Wales
Standard gauge railways in England