Station Focus ~ Bristol Temple Meads

Hello, Lewis here. This post has a very Great Western theme and is all about Bristol Temple Meads station. The station opened in August 1840 and has had an interesting past but has a very important role to play in the future. Bristol Temple Meads is the terminus of the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The huge trainshed at Temple Meads is an icon of the Great Western Railway and the City of Bristol oozing with character and history.




The station is currently served by three train operating companies: Cross Country, South West Trains and First Great Western who operate the majority of the services. Bristol Temple Meads is a vital transport hub in the South West of England with passenger being able to reach London, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance, South Wales, Salisbury, Derby, Newcastle, York, Edinburgh and even Aberdeen.




The name 'Great Western Railway' is one that hasn't been used for decades, only for historical purposes. That is all set to change from September 2015. From this date, First Great Western will relaunch as Great Western Railway, a name which will recreate the golden age of rail travel whilst looking forward to the bright future of the Great Western.





The InterCity 125 train is a common sight at Bristol Temple Meads and have been since their introduction in the 1970's. First Great Western operate the HST's between Bristol and London and Cross Country also have a small fleet of HST's for use on their long distance services between the North of England and the South West. The demise of the HST is sadly upon us as electrification of the Great Western Mainline takes hold.




The future of the West and more specifically Bristol Temple Meads is looking very positive. As part of a multi billion pound project, the Great Western Mainline will be electrified to Bristol from London and therefore new electric trains will operate between London and Bristol Temple Meads. The current timetable is 2 trains per hour from London to Bristol but as part of the Intercity Express Programme this will increase to 4 trains per hour, 2 via Bath and 2 via Bristol Parkway. Electrification will completely change the view of Bristol Temple Meads station and indeed the whole of the Great Western Mainline. The project is currently well behind schedule but the overhead wires will reach Bristol Temple Meads one day but hopefully the station will retain its iconic character.
Regards:

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