Redland railway station

the station in California
Railway station in Bristol, England

Redland railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the districts of Cotham and Redland in Bristol, England. It is 3.3 mile (5 km) from Its three letter station code is RDA. as of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction. The line through Redland was opened in 1874 by the Great Western and Midland Railways as part of the Clifton Extension Railway. The station itself was opened in 1897 following a petition by local residents. There were two platforms, with the main station building on the Bristol bound platform and smaller facilities on the opposite platform. No goods facilities were provided. The main station building, although no longer in railway use, is the only original station building left on the line. In 1903 the station had 11 staff. The Severn Beach Line declined over the latter half of the twentieth century, with passenger numbers falling significantly. All station staff were withdrawn in 1967, with the line through the station reduced to single track in 1970, with the second platform taken out of use. Services had decreased to ten per day each direction by 2005, but have since increased to a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

Redland railway station is on the Severn Beach Line, serving the areas of Cotham and Redland, Bristol. The surrounding area is mostly residential, with some commercial premises to the east. A park and tennis centre are directly to the south. It is the fourth station from Temple Meads. There is a single long platform which serves trains in both directions, situated on the north side of the track and angled at 062 degrees. The station's southern platform was abandoned in 1970 and is overgrown. The Victorian era station building is the only original station building left on the line, decorated with a mural painted by local students, Access is step free from South Road, through an area containing residents' garages. The platform backs onto the gardens on the south side of the road.

The Clifton Extension Railway was opened from Narroways Hill Junction to as a joint venture between the Great Western Railway and Midland Railway, to connect their main lines to the Bristol Port Railway and Pier in the Avon Gorge. Passenger services to Clifton Down began in 1874, and through services to started in 1885. There was not initially a station at Redland, but there was local support, with several petitions submitted to the line's Joint Railway Committee. The first was received in October 1885, but was rejected due to the estimated cost of £3,410 to provide the station. A second petition was rejected eighteen months later. The Bristol Chamber of Commerce petitioned for a station in 1892, but the committee again rejected the request, stating that estimated traffic levels would not justify the expense. It took until 1896 until a revised plan was accepted by the committee. Construction of the station was complicated by the need to keep the line open: trains ferrying materials were unable to stay on site for long, and frequently had to switch from one track to the other, necessitating trips to nearby Montpelier railway station, where the nearest crossover points were located. The first train was the 7 am service: 94 tickets were issued to Clifton Down, and an estimated 550 passengers bought tickets from the station the same day. Some local writers were sceptical, claiming that many of those first day passengers were not new passengers, but would previously have travelled from Montpelier or Clifton Down. Construction took nine months, and cost £2,000. which was succeeded by Wessex Trains, an arm of National Express, in 2001. Following action by Friends of Severn Beach Railway (FOSBR) and a string of protests, services had increased to 10 per day in each direction by 2005, The Wessex franchise was amalgamated with the Great Western franchise into the Greater Western franchise from 2006, and responsibility passed to First Great Western, a subsidiary company of FirstGroup, subsequently rebranded as Great Western Railway. A minimum service requirement was written into the franchise agreement, ensuring an hourly service along the line. and a 25% year on year increase between June 2009 and June 2010. Sunday services to Severn Beach were restored in 2010. Passenger numbers at Redland were further boosted by a marketing campaign by the Severnside Community Rail Partnership to attract more people, especially students, to use the station. The work won a Department for Transport Community Rail Marketing Award in 2007. The Severnside CRP also formed a support group for the station, and improved the provision of timetabling information through the use of simplified departure timetable posters. The work won a Community Rail Award. Customer help points with next train information screens were installed during 2008/09, paid for by money from the Department for Transport's "Access for All" fund and local councils. but have since been replaced. following complaints that passengers were unable to pay their fares. A small coffee stand and snack bar began operating at the station in 2014.

First Great Western declined a contractual option to continue the Greater Western passenger franchise (of which services at Redland are a part) beyond 2013, citing a desire for a longer term contract due to the impending upgrade to the Great Western Main Line. but the process was halted and later scrapped due to the fallout from the collapse of the InterCity West Coast franchise competition. A two year franchise extension until September 2015 was agreed in October 2013, and subsequently extended until March 2019. With the coming upgrade to the Great Western Main Line, the main line from London to Bristol is due to be electrified by 2016. However, the electrification will not extend beyond the main lines, so Redland will continue to be served by diesel trains, with the current "Sprinter" units expected to be replaced by and "Turbo" units. Stephen Williams, MP for Bristol West, questioned whether electrification could continue to Redland. Then Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond replied that it would have to be looked at in the future. The group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways supports the electrification of the entire Severn Beach Line. Improved services at Redland are called for as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. There is an aspiration for half hourly services, with trains towards Bristol terminating alternately at and , however due to the large sections of the Severn Beach Line which are single track and to the congested main line from Temple Meads, such frequency is not currently feasible. The scheme was given the go ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government. There are also calls for the reopening of the Henbury Loop Line, which could allow a direct service from Redland to via Plans for a loop were rejected by the West of England Joint Transport Board, however Bristol City Councillors voted to send the decision back to the board for further discussion.