Ashley Hill railway station


Ashley Hill railway station was a railway station serving the area of Ashley Down in the north of Bristol, England. It was located on what is now known as Filton Bank. It was served by stopping trains to Severn Beach, Avonmouth and Swindon.

History

The station was opened in 1864 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway, which was absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1868. The station passed to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.

The site today

Trains running between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway pass the site.
Remains of one of the platforms are clearly visible.
In 2001 the station was selected to be reopened as "Ashley Down" and used as a stop for the proposed Bristol Supertram project. This was planned to operate as a 30-minute service between Broadmead Shopping Centre and North Bristol, but the project was cancelled in 2004.

Future

The line through Ashley Hill was to have been electrified in 2017 as part of the Great Western Main Line electrification project, but this work has been postponed indefinitely. The route was however restored to four-tracks, which will allow more services between Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads, and separate fast inter-city services from local stopping services.
It was suggested that Ashley Hill station be reopened as part of the MetroWest scheme. The reopening was supported by Bristol City Council, Network Rail, local MPs and local rail groups, and would have provided rail access to local colleges and to the County Ground, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. However, it was ruled out by Network Rail due to modern regulations regarding the track gradient in stations, and also due to the high cost of removing an embankment.
However in January 2018, it was revealed that there was plans for reopening the station as part of the reopening of Henbury Spur.
Following the Bristol City Council meeting of 20 June 2019, Ashley Hill was cited as a station of main interest in MetroWest, with an opening date expected by 2021. It will be on the Henbury Line, with services being once hourly, calling at Filton Abbey Wood, North Filton and Henbury on the way north, and Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill and Bristol Temple Meads on its way south.