Pill railway station
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Pill railway station was a railway station on the
Portishead Branch Line The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead, Somerset, Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but i ...
, west of , serving the village of
Pill Pill or The Pill may refer to: Drugs * Pill (pharmacy), referring to anything small for a specific dose of medicine * "The Pill", a general nickname for the combined oral contraceptive pill Film and television * ''The Pill'' (film), a 2011 fil ...
in
North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The station was opened by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company on 18 April 1867. It had two platforms, on either side of a
passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...
, with a goods yard and signal box later additions. Services increased until the 1930s, at which point a half-hourly service operated. However the Portishead Branch was recommended for closure by the
Beeching report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...
, and the station was closed on 7 September 1964, although the line saw freight traffic until 1981. Regular freight trains through the station began to run again in 2002 when
Royal Portbury Dock The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the River Avon, Bristol, Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth ...
was connected to the rail network. The station is due to be reopened to passenger traffic as part of MetroWest, a scheme to increase rail services in the
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
area. The new station will have a single platform, an accessible footbridge and a car park, with trains running between and Bristol.


History

Pill railway station was opened on 18 April 1867 by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company, when services began on their line from the
Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with ...
at Portishead Junction to a pier on the
Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
at . The station served the village of
Pill Pill or The Pill may refer to: Drugs * Pill (pharmacy), referring to anything small for a specific dose of medicine * "The Pill", a general nickname for the combined oral contraceptive pill Film and television * ''The Pill'' (film), a 2011 fil ...
on the south bank of the River Avon. The line was built as
broad-gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
, and was largely single track. The station was sited in a cutting close to the old centre of Pill, from the line's terminus at Portishead, from and from the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
's terminus at .Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to the mile. To the east, the railway passed through the village and crossed a valley on the brick-built Pill Viaduct, while to the west the line was largely through flat, open countryside. The station was initially the second along the line from Portishead Junction, after and before . The station at Pill was aligned roughly north-west/south-east, with the line bridged to the east by Station Road and Myrtle Hill. There were two platforms, separated by two running lines, forming a
passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...
. The southern "down" platform was for trains towards Portishead, the northern "up" platform for trains towards Bristol. Each platform was provided with a brick shelter and steps up to Station Road. The station building was sited on Station Road, west of the platforms. There were initially six trains per day in each direction on weekdays and one on Sundays, operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway. The Great Western took over the Bristol and Exeter in 1876, and in 1884 took over ownership of the Bristol and Portishead. Services increased to nine trains per day on weekdays by 1889. The line was relaid as standard gauge in 1880, coinciding with a lengthening of the platforms, and by 1909 there were 13 trains per day on weekdays and two trains on Sundays. The double track loop through the station was extended at both ends in March 1912, with the platforms also extended. A small goods yard and coal depot was built at the north-west end of the station at the same time. A signal box was built on the southern platform at the end of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. By 1929, services had increased to 21 trains per day on weekdays and eight per day on Sundays. This allowed a train every half-hour, with one train per hour running to Bristol Temple Meads and the other terminating at . Passenger traffic was mainly commuters, to both Bristol and Portishead, as well as people who wished to use the Pill ferry across the river to
Shirehampton Shirehampton is a district of Bristol in England, near Avonmouth, at the northwestern edge of the city. It originated as a separate village, retains a High Street with a parish church and shops, and is still thought of as a village by many of it ...
. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, many evacuees from Bristol commuted into the city from Pill. The station staff at this time consisted of a station master, two porters and two female signallers. When the railways were nationalised in
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
, Pill came under the aegis of the
Western Region of British Railways The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right on completion of the "Organising for Quality" initiative on 6 April 1992. The Region consisted principally of ex- Great ...
. Passenger services had reduced by 1949 to 13 trains per day on weekdays and seven on Sundays. In 1963 the Beeching report suggested the complete withdrawal of services along the line as a cost-saving measure, and so goods services at Pill were ended on 10 June 1963; with the station closing completely on 7 September 1964. In the final year of operation, there were only six trains on weekdays and none on Sundays. Freight trains continued to pass through the station, but their number decreased over time, and the line fell out of regular use after 30 March 1981. The line however was kept intact by
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
, with occasional freight trains, and in 2002 a single track was relaid to allow rail access to
Royal Portbury Dock The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the River Avon, Bristol, Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth ...
, which brought regular freight traffic. At this time remnants of both platforms could be seen and the station buildings were in commercial use.


Future

The Portishead Branch Line is to be reopened as part of the MetroWest scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. The scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the
City Deal City Deals are an initiative enacted by the UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , ...
, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government. There had been calls for the line to reopen, primarily due to traffic congestion on the
A369 The A369 is an A road running from Ashton Gate junction with the A370 and the A3029 to Portishead in South West England. The first part is relatively flat and the route passes through several villages which are Leigh Woods, Abbots Leigh, Ea ...
, which is the only route from Portishead to Bristol. A consultation on the reopening plans was held between 22 June and 3 August 2015 to gather views from the community and stakeholders before moving on to detailed designs. Due to the additional
capital cost Capital costs are fixed, one-time expenses incurred on the purchase of land, buildings, construction, and equipment used in the production of goods or in the rendering of services. In other words, it is the total cost needed to bring a project to a ...
s, the line will not be
electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...
, however the design will include passive provision for future electrification. In April 2019 the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
committed £31.9m to cover the shortfall in finance for MetroWest Phase 1, meaning that funding has now been secured. In November 2019
North Somerset Council North Somerset Council is the local authority of North Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Cou ...
submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the
Planning Inspectorate The Planning Inspectorate for England (sometimes referred to as PINS) is an executive agency of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the United Kingdom Government with responsibility for making decisions and providing reco ...
, which seeks powers to build and operate the disused section of railway from Portishead to Pill, gain environmental consent to undertake works to the existing freight railway through the Avon Gorge and obtain powers for the compulsory acquisition of land. The
Secretary of State for Transport The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent i ...
is expected to make a decision within 18 months. Subject to final business case approval, construction work had been expected to start on the line in December 2021 and then take around two years to complete. Approval was given again in November 2022. As part of the works, Pill station will be reopened. Trains both to and from will use the southern platform, which will be resurfaced and provided with a waiting shelter, lighting, passenger information displays and audible announcements. The northern platform, adjacent to the current single track line to
Royal Portbury Dock The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the River Avon, Bristol, Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth ...
, will not be reinstated, however the track will be retained for freight trains. The two tracks will have a junction east of the station. Initial plans for the station were for access to be from Monmouth Road, which runs parallel to the railway, north of the line. There was to be a fully accessible footbridge across the line, with both ramp and stairs, as well as a pedestrian crossing across Monmouth Road and a lit 50-space car park on the old goods yard at the eastern end of Monmouth Road. The very end of the goods yard would be maintained for
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
access. These plans were changed following an agreement to acquire a property on Station Road. The new plans have the entrance to be on Station Road, at the east end of the site, meaning there would be no need for a footbridge. There would be disabled parking and a pick up/drop off point adjacent to the entrance, although the exact design of this area is still under consideration. Noise mitigation options are to be investigated and there will be improvements to local footpaths. It is expected that reopening the station will result in reduced car usage to and from Pill and the surrounding villages. Most station users will walk to the station, with the next largest share being car drivers and car passengers being dropped off, followed by cyclists and bus users. Some parking restrictions are proposed to prevent rail users parking on the local streets, which are narrow and not suitable for widening. Trains along the reopened line will operate between Portishead and , with two trains per hour in each direction. Services would call at Pill and , with aspirations to also call at and a reopened . Trains could also be extended on to the Severn Beach Line. The trains used will be
diesel multiple units A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
, likely three carriages long. The line will be operated as part of the Greater Western passenger franchise.
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
, a subsidiary of
FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.


See also

*
MetroWest


Notes


References

''Notes to references:''


External links


MetroWest
{{Proposed rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom Disused railway stations in North Somerset Former Great Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1867 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1964 Beeching closures in England Proposed railway stations in England