Pilning

[quarella]

The ramp for cars to be taken through the Severn Tunnel between 1928 and 1966 when the Severn Bridge opened.
I was very tempted to use the "help point" due to the rather restricted service. One train each way Saturday only. In my previous life on NRES I did have some people ring in who had been dropped off there. Passed the call to my supervisor. There is still a phonecard phone box at the station Not sure if the phone is live but a bit of surfing found phonecards stopped in 2002!! Driving down the station approach I gave a lorry driver who had stopped to water his back tyre a bit of a shock.

 

[BestWestern]

That's quite interesting. Where would the vehicles have been offloaded at the other end, Severn Tunnel Jcn or further afield?

The current service is, as you say, extremely limited. However there is at least one regular passenger who generally always uses the saturday service. The station is kept open essentially to act as a base for the rescue services and for detraining passengers etc in the event of an incident within the tunnel.

 

[RichmondCommu]

That's quite interesting. Where would the vehicles have been offloaded at the other end, Severn Tunnel Jcn or further afield?

The current service is, as you say, extremely limited. However there is at least one regular passenger who generally always uses the saturday service. The station is kept open essentially to act as a base for the rescue services and for detraining passengers etc in the event of an incident within the tunnel.

Are there no residential developments close by which could make an improved service viable?

 

[Firesprite]

Are there no residential developments close by which could make an improved service viable?

There is the village of Pilning 3/4 mile away, But then it also about the same distance from the village to Seven Beach station using the footpath linking Church lane and Church Road over the M48.

 

[RichmondCommu]

There is the village of Pilning 3/4 mile away, But then it also about the same distance from the village to Seven Beach station using the footpath linking Church lane and Church Road over the M4.

I was really thinking about potential customers who would perhaps commute into Cardiff by train. That said, I have no local knowledge!

 

[richw]

There is still a phonecard phone box at the station Not sure if the phone is live but a bit of surfing found phonecards stopped in 2002!! .

If the phone line was live the only use of it will be 0800 numbers then

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

 

[TEW]

I was really thinking about potential customers who would perhaps commute into Cardiff by train. That said, I have no local knowledge!

More likely to be commuting in to Bristol, and Severn Beach station serves that market now. Since the all day Severn Beach-Avonmouth service was reintroduced a couple of years ago there is even less reason to better serve Pilning.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Not so much a station as some derelict platforms. There's obviously no real demand for even the one train on a Saturday, is it legally necessary to maintain this very limited service to keep the facility available?

 

[quarella]

That's quite interesting. Where would the vehicles have been offloaded at the other end, Severn Tunnel Jcn or further afield?

Severn Tunnel Jct. Can't find it now but I am sure I read a website that said the cars had to be drained of fuel.

A few more views. As you can see there is no vandalism.

 

[anthony263]

I seem to remember its the 09:00 from Cardiff and 15:21 from Bristol TM which call at Pilling which certainly gets some looks when it is annouced

 

[Eire Sprinter]

The potential significant “unique selling point” of Pilning railway station (in comparison to Severn Beach railway station) is that it can offer a journey time into Bristol (Temple Meads) which is around half the duration of the journey from Severn Beach into Temple Meads.

Severn Beach to Temple Meads is a 38 minute journey whereas the weekly (Saturday) train from Pilning to Temple Meads takes 20 minutes (the return is 19 mins.). On the fare side there appears to be a £3 Severn Beach – Temple Meads day return whereas Pilning to Temple Meads day return is £5.60.

A secondary selling point is that Pilning offers potential connectivity to the cities of Newport and Cardiff (and other places in Wales).

Before Pilning’s rail service was scaled back to one day a week (in the December 2006 timetable change) the Mondays to Fridays train each way was geared towards the shopper/someone with an appointment/onward traveller rather than the commuter/student. For instance the train from Pilning into Bristol was at 09.34.

If Pilning was ever to be given an opportunity to succeed and capture some of the “bread and butter” customer base the bare minimum necessary in my view would be two trains into Bristol in the morning peak and two out of Bristol in the evening peak. This could be complemented by a single service each way to/from Newport and Cardiff (morning in, evening back thus allowing a commute into either city) thereby giving a total of 6 trains Mondays to Fridays inclusive.

Appreciably the station is situated on a busy line but this is not impossible to achieve. A number of improvements have been achieved at its counterpart station (so to speak), Severn Tunnel Junction, in Wales by, inter alia, the Severn Tunnel Action Group.

Incidentally, the Pilning village website has a pleasant array of photos of the railway:
http://www.pilningvillage.co.uk/

 

[RichmondCommu]

Is there anything left of the once extensive freight yard that was at Severn Tunnel Junction?

 

[Eire Sprinter]

Was at Severn Tunnel Junction the best part of 2 years ago and only saw the running lines. That said between arriving on one train and departing again was only there around an hour, maybe less, just enough time for a wander around in the gathering dark. The overbridge immediately west of the station is good for watching the scene and local road traffic in the station's immediate vicinity is fairly light though there is background noise from the incessant traffic on the nearby M4.

Am not sure but I think the freight yard was on the Newport side of the station.

 

[The Planner]

Nothing left at all now.

 

[bolli]

Is there anything left of the once extensive freight yard that was at Severn Tunnel Junction?

Not sure if it was part of the freight yard, however there are a few sidings to the west of the station that are still in use (and sometimes contain a tamper or light loco).