Purton railway station
The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway through Purton parish was opened in 1841 and was absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1843. Purton railway station opened in 1841, in the hamlet of Widham, about 700 metres north of Purton village at the bridge over the Purton-Cricklade road. British Railways closed the station in 1964 but the line remains open. The booking office building survives with a small part of its platform.
Trains run along the Golden Valley Line through from London Paddington via, Didcot Parkway and, then past the three closed stations of Purton, and to Kemble, continuing to,, and. When engineering work closes the Severn Tunnel, trains from Paddington to are diverted from the Great Western Main Line and South Wales Main Line via Bristol Parkway to run via Kemble to Gloucester, then along the Gloucester to Newport Line through, and before rejoining the normal line at.
Originally built as dual-track, British Rail reduced the line between Kemble and Swindon to single-track in 1968. Network Rail investigated the options for reinstating the second track, along with the estimated cost . In the 2011 Budget the Government announced that funding for the redoubling was to be provided and the works were completed in August 2014.
