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Porton railway station

Coordinates: 51°07′34″N 1°43′30″W / 51.1262°N 1.7250°W / 51.1262; -1.7250
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Porton
General information
LocationPorton, Wiltshire
England
Coordinates51°07′34″N 1°43′30″W / 51.1262°N 1.7250°W / 51.1262; -1.7250
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
1 May 1857Opened
9 September 1968 (1968-09-09)Closed

Porton railway station served the village of Porton, in Wiltshire, England, from 1854 to 1968 on the West of England line.

History

[edit]

The station was opened on 1 May 1857, along with the line from Andover to Milford. It closed on 9 September 1968.[1][2] The station was serviced by a goods yard, which closed in 1962.[2]

Between 1916 and 1952 the Porton Military Railway (2 foot gauge) ran between the goods yard at Porton station and the military camp, almost a mile to the northeast.[2]

Proposed reopening

[edit]

A proposal was made to reopen the station to service the Porton Down science park. However, reopening the station was not seen as economically viable, as it was estimated that the reopening would cost £6m, and would affect the timetables for the line, thus affecting services to the other stations on the line. It was instead decided that a shuttle bus would run in between the science park and Grateley railway station.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Quick, M E (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 238. OCLC 931112387.
  2. ^ a b c Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 104. ISBN 1904349331.
  3. ^ Batten, Roland (7 March 2007). "Porton rail plans reach end of line". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 30 March 2022.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Idmiston Halt
Station closed
  Southern Railway
West of England line
  Salisbury
Line and station open