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60-605: Bristol Parkway , on the South Wales Main Line , serves the villages of Stoke Gifford and Harry Stoke in South Gloucestershire , England. Despite its name, it is located in Gloucestershire rather than Bristol itself. It is 112 miles (180 km) from London Paddington . The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail and rebuilt in 2001. It is the third-most heavily used station in

120-403: A café overlooking the tracks. There are waiting rooms on each platform, as well as vending machines and LED displays giving next train information. Ticket barriers are in use at the station. The pay-and-display car park, run by APCOA , has 1,810 spaces. Bristol Parkway was among the first of a new generation of park and ride railway stations, and many passengers use it for that purpose. Over

180-428: A departing parker give away a ticket with remaining time. This can be prevented by putting the license plate number on the ticket. In addition, pay and display machines can also accept a wider variety of coins, and many even accept credit cards , making it unnecessary for drivers to carry large amounts of change. The use of credit cards has another advantage - the machines do not have to be emptied of coins as often, and

240-689: A further 18 months and the letting of new franchises would be scrapped. As of 2024, the New CrossCountry franchise is let to Arriva -owned CrossCountry until 2027 and the Greater Western franchise to FirstGroup -owned Great Western Railway until 2028. The South Wales Main Line from London to Cardiff has been electrified. However, the lines to Weston-super-Mare and the Cross Country Route to Birmingham New Street ,

300-644: A small section of 100 mph (160 km/h) track through Pyle station ); and 40 mph (65 km/h) from Swansea Loop North Junction to Swansea. A diversionary route exists if the Severn Tunnel is closed. This takes trains from Severn Tunnel Junction to Gloucester , from where they can rejoin the main line either via the Golden Valley Line to Swindon, or take the Cross-Country Route and reverse at Bristol Parkway . If

360-401: A specific vehicle registration plate . Coupon parking , also known as parking vouchers , is a variation of pay and display without the use of machines; instead, the motorist purchases a booklet of coupons in advance from the authorities. To use a parking coupon, the motorist has to completely tear off tabs of the date and time, or scratch off panels on the date and time in which he/she leaves

420-744: A spur to Henbury, served by trains from Bristol Temple Meads , without a direct connection to Parkway. South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( Welsh : Prif Linell De Cymru ), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway , is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. It diverges from

480-476: Is Filton Abbey Wood . The next station east along the South Wales Main Line is Swindon , and the next station west is Patchway , although only two trains per day call at both Bristol Parkway and Patchway. The station is on an east–west alignment, with the main station building and car park to the north of the line. There are six lines through the station, of which the inner four have platforms,

540-1552: Is W8 , and the line handles over 20 million train tonnes per year. The lines through the station were electrified in late 2018 as part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line . The station is managed by Great Western Railway , who operate most rail services from the station. Their weekday service consists of two trains per hour each way between London Paddington and Cardiff Central (one extended to Swansea ), one service each way between Westbury and Gloucester via Bristol Temple Meads , and one train per hour between Worcester Foregate Street and Temple Meads (one train every two hours extended to Great Malvern and Weymouth ). CrossCountry also operate trains from Bristol Parkway. Their weekday service consists of one hourly train each way between Bristol Temple Meads and Manchester Piccadilly , and one hourly train each way between Plymouth , Bristol and Edinburgh Waverley via Leeds and Newcastle . Both these services run via Birmingham New Street . Great Western Railway services between London and South Wales are formed of Class 800 or Class 802 bi-mode multiple units , while other GWR services are formed using Class 43 locomotives with British Rail Mark 3 "Castle Class" sets, Class 158 , 165 and 166 diesel multiple-unit trains. CrossCountry services are formed of Class 220 and 221 Voyager diesel-electric multiple units . The standard journey time to London Paddington

600-760: Is 90 minutes, to Cardiff Central 40 minutes, to Birmingham New Street 75 minutes, and to Bristol Temple Meads 12 minutes. In December 2022, the ORR gave approval to the open access company Grand Union to commence a service from Paddington to Carmarthen in partnership with Spanish rail operator Renfe , for which a fleet of new bi-mode trains will be used. The new service is scheduled to commence in December 2024. The service will call at Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport, Cardiff Central, Gowerton and Llanelli en-route to Carmarthen, and will provide Bristol Parkway with regular non-stop trains to London. Bristol Parkway

660-638: Is from the west, with the station situated close to the M4 , M5 and M32 motorways – the latter being the Bristol "Parkway" from which the station takes its name – as well as the A4174 Avon Ring Road . The station is on the South Wales Main Line from London to Swansea , 111 miles 68 chains (180.01 km) from the eastern terminus at London Paddington . It is also on the Cross Country Route from Bristol Temple Meads to York . Just to

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720-998: Is referred to as the Valley Lines . Pay and display The first generation of pay and display machines in the United States was introduced in 1950 by Park-UR-Self, based in San Francisco, California. Park-Ur-Self has grown to become the leading manufacturer of pay and display machines in the United States and now goes by the name Ventek International. Pay and display systems differ from road-side parking meters in that one machine can service multiple vehicle spaces, resulting in lower set up costs. In addition, this system theoretically prevents drivers from taking advantage of parking meters that have time remaining; this factor alone has doubled parking revenues in cities that have switched to pay and display. A driver may occasionally take advantage of remaining time should

780-431: Is served by bus routes linking it with the rest of Bristol and South Gloucestershire, including Avonmouth , Severn Beach , Cribbs Causeway , Bath , Temple Meads , Southmead Hospital , Chipping Sodbury and Yate . These routes are operated by First West of England and Stagecoach West . Metrobus route m4 started on 22 January 2023, connecting Cribbs Causeway via Parkway to Bristol. The line through Bristol Parkway

840-670: The Gloucester to Newport Line via Gloucester and Birmingham . Transport for Wales operates services between South Wales, and North Wales and the Midlands on the line. Operations are mostly managed from the Wales Rail Operating Centre in Cardiff; digital signalling is to be rolled out. The South Wales Railway was built to carry traffic from Gloucester to the strategic port of Milford Haven and capture

900-704: The Intercity 125 high speed trainsets. During the 2010s, the line between Swindon and Cardiff Central was electrified using the 25 kV AC overhead system as part of the wider electrification of the Great Western Main Line ; this has permitted the operation of electric traction between Cardiff and London for the first time to commence in 2020. Presently, Great Western Railway operates Class 800 trains between London and South Wales, and "Castle class" High Speed Trains on services between Cardiff and South West England . CrossCountry provides services from Cardiff to Nottingham via Severn Tunnel Junction and thence

960-529: The Swindon and London direction commenced passenger service on 30 December 2018. This was part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line . Bristol Parkway is located in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire , in the Stoke Gifford area of the Bristol conurbation . The immediate surrounding area is mostly residential, with farmland to the south east. The main road access

1020-672: The West Midlands , the East Midlands and Northern England will not be electrified, so local and CrossCountry services will still be provided by diesel trains. In 2011, the group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways supported the electrification continuing to Weston, as did the Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare , John Penrose . Bristol Parkway is on the Weston-super-Mare/ Yate corridor, one of

1080-457: The West of England combined authority area, after Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa . There are four platforms, and a well-equipped waiting area. The station is managed by Great Western Railway , who provide most of the trains at the station, with CrossCountry providing the rest. Electrification using 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead system reached Bristol Parkway in late 2018, and electric trains in

1140-447: The 2011/12 financial year. In the 2006/07 financial year, over 100,000 passengers used Parkway to travel to or from Bristol Temple Meads, and a further 500,000 used it to travel to or from London Paddington. The line through Bristol Parkway has a linespeed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) on platforms 2 and 3 (40 miles per hour (64 km/h) westbound on platform 3), and 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on platform 4. The loading gauge

1200-452: The Bath line beyond Swindon at what is now Royal Wootton Bassett , rejoining the earlier route north of Bristol near Patchway . Not only did this provide a more direct route for traffic to and from South Wales, the gradients were easier for coal trains to negotiate, and it was thought that the line would be a boost to what was, at the time of building, the expanding port of Fishguard . This was

1260-577: The Bristol to Exeter Line and the Wessex Main Line will not be electrified. There are four tracks from Severn Tunnel Junction through Newport to Cardiff Central, with two tracks on the remaining sections. Multiple-aspect signals are controlled from several power signal boxes including Swindon, Bristol and two in Cardiff. Over the August Bank Holiday weekend 2016, control of the signals between Westerleigh Junction and Pilning

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1320-578: The GWR's connection with trans-Atlantic ocean liner departures. During the British Rail era, the line was incorporated into the Western Region and steam locomotives were replaced by diesel locomotives . Perhaps the most significant change occurred in 1976 in the form of the Intercity 125 , a new high speed train fleet that regularly ran at speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h) that

1380-538: The Severn Tunnel in June 2020. The Hitachi Super Express trains bought for Great Western inter-city services are predominantly electric units , but a portion of the fleet are dual power source electro-diesel bi-mode trains, which enabled services to operate before line electrification is complete. The bi-mode trains will allow inter-city services to continue to operate from London all the way to Carmarthen in

1440-486: The core London-Bristol line at Royal Wootton Bassett beyond Swindon , first calling at Bristol Parkway , after which the line continues through the Severn Tunnel into South Wales . Much of the South Wales Main Line was built between the 1830s and 1886; originally trains to and from destinations in England ran via Chepstow , Gloucester and Stroud , joining the Great Western Main Line at Swindon. A more direct route

1500-461: The costs of counting coin and possible pilfering by employees who empty the parking meters also reduces their overall costs. In the UK pay and display is used for both on-street parking control and parking in car parks and multi-storey car parks where access barrier systems are not installed. Pay on foot is a variant where the driver is issued with a ticket at a barrier upon entering the car park. At

1560-468: The decade 2002–2012, the number of passengers starting or ending a journey at Bristol Parkway grew by 1 million passengers per year to 2.25 million, with a further 740,000 passengers changing trains there, giving an annual footfall of just under 3 million passengers and making it the 216th busiest station in the country and the third busiest in the West of England (after Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa ) as of

1620-428: The early 1870s, GWR's chief engineer, Sir John Hawkshaw , developed his design for what would become the Severn Tunnel and the company obtained an Act of Parliament on 27 June 1872 that authorised the construction of the tunnel. The tunnel's construction was time consuming and disrupted by water infiltration, yet proceeded nonetheless. The completed tunnel was opened to regular goods trains during September 1886;

1680-507: The east of the station, taking over some of the station car park to provide a platform and warehouse for postal trains. The 12,000 square feet (1,100 m) building opened on 15 May 2000, replacing a similar facility at Bristol Temple Meads, with the Royal Mail stating it would save 250,000 miles (400,000 km) of lorry journeys per year on local roads. However, the depot closed only four years later in 2004, when Royal Mail ceased to use

1740-406: The end of their stay the driver inserts the ticket into a machine which calculates the amount based on the duration of stay. The driver then exits the car park by inserting the paid ticket into another barrier. This system means that drivers do not have to decide on their duration in advance. Progressions of pay and display include pay by phone parking and Pay by Plate , where payment is linked to

1800-542: The first passenger train followed on 1 December 1886. The opening of a more direct route to and from South Wales led to trains from Swindon to Newport and beyond being thereafter routed via Bath , Bristol and the tunnel. The route used today was established in 1903 with the building of what is often known as the Badminton Line . This involved the construction of about 33 miles (53 km) of new track, and tunnels at Alderton and Sodbury . The new line left

1860-424: The footbridge and extending further to the east. All platforms are 280 metres (310 yd) long. Platforms 1, 3 and 4 are signalled for bidirectional running, while platform 2 is unidirectional. The footbridge can be accessed by both stairs and lifts. The station building, a metal construction with a curved roof, opened in 2001. It contains a booking office, waiting rooms, payphones, cash machines, shops, toilets and

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1920-434: The future. The Super Express trains were expected to bring an estimated 15% increase in capacity during the morning peak hours. Electrification cut journey times between Swansea and London by an estimated 20 minutes, although electrification will not extend west of Cardiff to Swansea, Carmarthen or Pembroke Dock, and services on the line to Brighton, Portsmouth Harbour and Taunton will continue to be operated by diesel trains, as

1980-463: The line is closed between Cardiff Central and Bridgend , an alternative route exists along the Vale of Glamorgan Line . Half of peak High Speed Trains and most off peak trains continue from Cardiff Central to Swansea, with a few continuing to Carmarthen or in summer, Pembroke Dock . The local service between Swansea and Cardiff is branded Swanline . The urban network within and surrounding Cardiff

2040-690: The lucrative transatlantic maritime trade as well as communication with Ireland . At Gloucester, the South Wales Railway met with the Great Western Railway (GWR) which formed a route between London and South Wales after the opening of Brunel 's Chepstow Railway Bridge in 1852. The original route of the GWR left the Bristol-bound Great Western Main Line at Swindon , proceeding via Stroud , Gloucester and Chepstow before rejoining

2100-468: The main axes of MetroWest , a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. Under its previous name of Greater Bristol Metro, 2012 plans considered the reopening of the Henbury Loop Line to passengers, with the possibility of services from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway via Clifton Down and Henbury . The current MetroWest Phase 2 proposals are for

2160-561: The next thirty years, including a new booking office and extensions to the car park. Following the privatisation of British Rail in 1997, services at Bristol Parkway were franchised to several train operating companies . South Wales Main Line services were provided by Great Western Trains, which was later rebranded as First Great Western; services from Bristol to Birmingham and the north were operated by Virgin CrossCountry ; and local services were franchised to Wales & West , which

2220-471: The north of the two central running lines. Platform 3 serves mainly inter-city trains towards London and Birmingham New Street , while platform 4 is usually reserved for local services. An enclosed footbridge provides access to the platforms, approximately a third of the way along platforms 2 and 3 (from west to east), and at the west end of platforms 1 and 4. Platforms 2 and 3 are opposite each other, while platforms 1 and 4 are offset from platform 3, starting at

2280-428: The north side of platform 1, to ease congestion for trains toward Birmingham and London. The new platform, platform 4, was opened on 9 May 2007 by rail minister Tom Harris MP . As part of the reconstruction, the waiting room at the east end of platform 1 was demolished, and replaced with an extended waiting area and customer help desk. Platform 1 was subsequently redesignated platform 3. The work cost £3   million and

2340-490: The outer two being goods loops. There is a goods yard adjacent to the station to the south. The station has four platforms, numbered 1 to 4 from south to north. Platforms 1 and 2 share an island to the south of the two central lines; platform 1 is on the south side of the island and serves southbound trains towards Bristol Temple Meads. Platform 2 is on the north side of the island and serves westbound trains towards Wales and Bristol Temple Meads. Platforms 3 and 4 share an island to

2400-518: The present line at Severn Tunnel Junction ; this circular route gave rise to the nickname 'Great Way Round'. GWR officials realised that the journey time between the South Wales Main Line and the Great Western Main Line could be significantly shortened by the construction of a tunnel directly underneath the River Severn , which would be faster than the ferry service between Portskewett , Monmouthshire and New Passage , Gloucestershire. During

2460-634: 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. The CrossCountry franchise was due to expire in October 2019, but it was announced in September 2020 that the emergency timetables introduced to meet COVID-19 requirements would continue for

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2520-410: The rail network. Royal Mail offered the terminal for use by freight companies, but as there were no takers it was demolished in October 2007. In 2008, Network Rail opened a maintenance training centre on the site in a £2.5 million project which saw the construction of a mezzanine floor, a welding workshop and a 4,000 square feet (370 m) extension. In 2000, work began on a complete redevelopment of

2580-473: The same time. The station closed for three weeks in Autumn 2018 for further electrification works, including the installation and testing of overhead wires. First Great Western declined a contractual option to continue the Greater Western passenger franchise beyond 2013, citing a desire for a longer-term contract due to the impending upgrade to the Great Western Main Line. The franchise was put out to tender but

2640-407: The start of construction of a new fourth platform on the south side of platform 2. The new platform 1 took over an existing goods loop, allowing trains towards Bristol and towards Wales to be accommodated at the same time, thus easing a bottleneck. It was opened on 13 April 2018 by Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport . The other platforms were lengthened to 280 metres (310 yd) at

2700-451: The station building with a new enclosed footbridge. It opened on 1 July 2001, and featured lifts and generally enhanced facilities. Local roads were enhanced to help speed passengers' journeys to and from the station, and a new multi-storey car park was built to replace the spaces lost to the Royal Mail facility. A dedicated bus interchange was opened in 2003. In 2006, construction started on a new 278 metres (304 yd) long platform face on

2760-465: The vehicle. This process is similar to disc parking , except that a parking disc is reusable whereas a coupon can only be used once. In the Republic of Ireland , reusable free-parking discs are unknown and parking coupons are called "parking discs". The coupon is displayed on the dashboard or hung from the top of a door window facing the roadside. Multiple coupons are used if the parking time exceeds

2820-473: The west of the station is Stoke Gifford Junction, where the Henbury Loop Line to Avonmouth Docks and Cross Country Route to Temple Meads diverge from the line to South Wales. Stoke Gifford train maintenance depot is within the junction's confines. To the east is a Network Rail maintenance training centre. The next station north along the Cross Country Route is Yate , the next station south

2880-489: Was built it was outside the developed urban area, but the growth of housing and commercial development in adjoining areas of the North Fringe has brought it within the conurbation, with many large office complexes opened nearby. The station, owned by British Rail , opened on 1 May 1972. Services were operated by the Western Region until British Rail was split into business-led sectors in the 1980s, after which Parkway

2940-460: Was challenging yet desirable, leading to the construction of the line's most prominent civil engineering features, the Severn Tunnel . Completed in 1886, it permitted a significant reduction in journey times between various destinations, especially after the construction of the Badminton Line in 1903. During the British Rail era, the line was incorporated into the Western Region and steam locomotives were replaced by diesel locomotives , such as

3000-416: Was expected that traffic would increase when a new bus link was opened to transfer drivers from the car park to the station. A new multi-storey car park on the station site with 710 spaces was opened on 5 September 2014 by Baroness Kramer , Minister of State for Transport . Construction of the car park, which began in mid-2013, caused a short-term lack of spaces for commuters. The car park cost £13 million and

3060-826: Was first introduced in the Western Region]]. The Intercity 125 would remain in use into the twenty-first century and marked a considerable improvement in service. In 2005, the Strategic Rail Authority produced a Route Utilisation Strategy for the Great Western Main Line in 2005 to propose ways of meeting increased traffic levels. Network Rail 's 2007 Business Plan included the provision of extra platform capacity at Cardiff Central , Newport and Bristol Parkway , together with resignalling and line speed improvements in South Wales, most of which would be delivered in 2010–2014. The South Wales Main Line

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3120-429: Was for trains towards Wales and Bristol Temple Meads. The platforms were 256 metres (280 yd) long. The station opened with a 600-space car park and a fastest journey to London of 95 minutes, which was subsequently reduced to 75 minutes with the introduction of the new High Speed Trains in 1976. Platform canopies were added in 1973, along with a cover for the footbridge. Further minor improvements were implemented over

3180-480: Was funded by Network Rail, with First Great Western contributing £100,000 towards the new waiting room and help desk. Despite the large car park, the increase in passenger numbers at Parkway led to problems with on-street parking, leading to the commissioning of a new 200-space car park 500 metres (550 yd) east of the station. It opened in Spring 2011, but was used by only 139 motorists in its first three months; it

3240-658: Was funded jointly by Network Rail and the Department for Transport under the Station Commercial Projects Fund. Improved cycle facilities, including a bike hire scheme, were provided in the late 2000s. The station was closed for two weeks in September 2017 to allow for upgrade work as part of the electrification and upgrade work for the Great Western route . Works included resignalling, installation of overhead electrification gantries, and

3300-460: Was one of the last of the major inter-city routes in Great Britain to remain un-electrified. In 2012, the British government announced it would proceed with work to electrify the South Wales Main Line as part of a wider scheme of electrification on the Great Western Main Line . The line from London to Cardiff was fully electrified by Christmas 2019, the first electric trains began operating through

3360-483: Was opened in 1903 as part of the Great Western Railway 's " Badminton Line " from Wootton Bassett to Patchway , a short-cut for trains from London to South Wales, avoiding Bath and Chippenham . The station was built on the site of the Stoke Gifford marshalling yard, which closed on 4 October 1971, having become surplus to requirements with the cessation of wagonload freight trains. The station's development

3420-585: Was seen as a response to the potential growth of housing and commercial developments in north Bristol, with proximity to the M4 and M5 motorway interchange at Almondsbury also important. The name "Parkway" came from proximity to the M32 motorway , known as the Bristol Parkway, although the term Parkway has since been applied to park and ride stations throughout the United Kingdom. When the station

3480-470: Was served by the InterCity and Regional Railways divisions. The original structures, built by Stone & Co. of Bristol, were basic – two island platforms connected by an open metal footbridge, with a wood and brick building containing the booking facilities and waiting rooms. Platform 1 (the current platform 3), on the north side of the tracks, was for trains towards London and Birmingham, and platform 2

3540-458: Was succeeded in 2001 by Wessex Trains . The Wessex franchise was amalgamated with the Great Western franchise into the Greater Western franchise from 2006, and awarded to First Great Western, which became known as Great Western Railway in 2016. Virgin CrossCountry services were taken over by Arriva CrossCountry in 2007. In the August 1998, Royal Mail began construction of a mail terminal to

3600-501: Was switched over to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre. These signals now carry the prefix 'BL'. The maximum line speed from Wootton Bassett Junction to Coalpit Heath is 125 mph (200 km/h); 90 mph (145 km/h) from Coalpit Heath to Newport; 90 mph (145 km/h) from Newport to east of Bridgend; 75 mph (120 km/h) from east of Bridgend to Swansea Loop North junction (with

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