Charfield train station

Following approval of the scheme’s full business case by WECA, the main construction phase of the project can begin. The business case will be published shortly.

Construction is due to begin in August 2025 and will be done in stages, including:

• construction of the station, including footbridge and platforms
• construction of the station forecourt
• construction of the southern car park
• improvements to Station Road including widening of carriageway and footpaths, and work to the rail access point 
• final works on Little Bristol Lane, including road surfacing

The new station is expected to open in spring 2027.

Little Bristol Lane temporary one-way closure and diversion

A temporary one-way closure of Little Bristol Lane will be in place from Tuesday 19 August until early 2027 as Octavius will be using part of Little Bristol Lane as a construction compound and safe working space.

During this time, vehicles travelling north towards Wotton Road will be able to use Little Bristol Lane as normal, however vehicles travelling in the opposite direction will be diverted via Manor Lane. 

Pedestrians are unaffected by the closure. However, cyclists need to dismount and walk their bike along a stretch of pavement if travelling south on Little Bristol Lane or use the signed diversion via Manor Lane. 

An interactive map is available on Google Maps or an illustrated map of the diversion route is below:

To set up the one-way system, Little Bristol Lane will be closed in both directions for 1 night from 11pm on Monday 18 August until 6am on Tuesday 19 August. A signed overnight diversion in both directions around Manor Lane will be in place during this time.

The one-way closure and the overnight full closure will be in place north of the Manor Lane junction.

Overnight works on the railway

Octavius needs to do essential work on and near the railway regularly at night during the main construction phase. This is because some railway works can only be done safely at night when there are no or fewer trains running. It also means that more work can be done in less time, which minimises the overall construction programme.

In addition to standard daytime working hours on Monday to Friday 7.30am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm, overnight works are scheduled for the following dates:

• Monday 18 to Friday 22 August – 4 nights from 11pm to 7.30am
• Saturday 30 to Sunday 31 August – single night from 10.30pm to 8am
• Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 September – single night from 10.30pm to 8am
• Monday 8 to Friday 12 September – 4 nights from 11pm to 7.30am
• Saturday 13 to Sunday 14 September – single night from 10.30pm to 8am

Work to be done on these nights includes the installation of temporary protective fencing along the railway, track monitoring, removal of telecoms poles on Little Bristol Lane and excavation next to the railway to enable construction of foundations.

More overnight works will take place during the construction period and we will publicise these dates nearer the time. While we will minimise noise as much as possible, some noise is unavoidable, and we therefore sincerely apologise for the disturbance that this may cause to local residents.

Drop-in information event for residents

We are hosting a drop-in event for residents and other interested parties who would like to find out more about the next phase of the project from representatives of Network Rail, Octavius and the council.

The event will take place on Thursday 18 September between 3pm and 7pm at Charfield Village Hall, Wotton Road, Charfield, GL12 8TG.

Enabling works for construction of the new station will start in February and continue to July 2025. This includes the following activities:

• realignment of Little Bristol Lane to allow for future station construction
• preparation of the proposed station forecourt as a temporary compound for rail works
• improving track drainage and realignment of trackside cabling
• vegetation clearance

Network Rail will be working overnight at the site on:

• Saturday 17 May from 11.30pm to 8am
• Saturday 24 May from 11.30pm to 6.30am
• Saturday 31 May from 11.30pm to 6.30am

Network Rail will be erecting scaffolding around the former station booking hall to protect the railway during our works. Some of this work will need to be completed at night when trains are not running for the safety of the railway and staff.

They will be working a mixture of day and night shifts, to include:

• Monday 3 to Friday 7 February – 5 consecutive daytime shifts from 8am to 5pm for site clearance, surveys and prep works
• Saturday 8 to Sunday 9 February – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for scaffold erection
• Thursday 13 to Monday 17 February – 5 consecutive daytime shifts from 8am to 5pm for scaffold erection
• Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 February – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for scaffold erection
• Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 February – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for scaffold erection (contingency date)

Network Rail will be starting essential design survey work in preparation of the new station.

These surveys will include utility detection, topographical mapping, ground investigations, track condition assessments, structural inspections of culverts and stone arches, as well as lineside equipment evaluations. In some areas, vegetation will need to be cut back to provide access.

Network Rail will be working a mixture of day and night shifts as listed below, however please be aware these dates may change.

• Saturday 31 August to Sunday 1 September – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for track surveys
• Monday 2 to Friday 6 September – 5 consecutive daytime shifts from 8am to 5pm for off-track surveys and vegetation clearance
• Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 September – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for track surveys and vegetation clearance
• Saturday 5 to Sunday 6 October – single overnight shift from 10pm to 8am for track surveys and vegetation clearance
• Monday 7 to Friday 11 October – 4 consecutive overnight shifts from 10pm to 6am for track surveys

Traffic management will be in place between the hours of 8am and 5pm from Monday 2 to Friday 6 September on Little Bristol Lane and Station Road. This will involve a two-way signalling system on Little Bristol Lane and stop and go boards on Station Road.

Some of the work being carried out will be noisy and Network Rail will be working to minimise disruption as much as possible.

If you have any questions, you can contact Network Rail by calling a dedicated 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or by visiting Network Rail’s contact us page.

As part of our commitment to deliver the new station by spring 2027 we are working with the Department for Transport and the West England Mayoral Combined Authority to establish if partial funding for the scheme can be released to start some station enabling works in early 2025.

Over the coming weeks we will be setting out the scope and cost of the enabling works to Department for Transport and Combined Authority. They will consider the proposal and make a decision on whether the works can proceed.

The main reason for the enabling works is to help maintain the current programme for delivery of the station and to make best use of an existing planned rail possession (or line closure) in May 2025 – which improves safety for workers, reduces the cost of the scheme and the impact for rail passengers. Being able to carry out these works sooner supports our aim of opening the new station by spring 2027.

We are still working to submit our full business case, and request for full funding, to Department for Transport and the Combined Authority at the end of the year. Given the station forms part of the national transport network, the Department for Transport apply their own scrutiny and must give approval for funding release.

If we are successful in our request, we will provide a detailed programme, including traffic management arrangements, for the enabling works nearer the time as part of our ongoing community engagement.

Planning

Earlier in the summer we made an application to the Local Planning Authority to amend some of the planning conditions associated with the planning consent granted for the new station and associated highway improvements in March 2023.

Like most developments, the original planning consent is subject to a range of planning conditions, which ensure the impact of the scheme on the local environment, ecology and public safety is properly managed.

With the new application we are seeking greater flexibility for discharging these conditions. This is because different parts of the site will be delivered by different contractors (Network Rail for the station and South Gloucestershire Council’s StreetCare for the highways and car parks) and potentially at different times.

We have now requested some further minor amendments in a revised covering letter as part of this application to help ensure the project keeps to programme and to help us start enabling works in early 2025.

You can view and comment on the application using the reference P24/01637/RVC.

Plans for a train station in Charfield have been given planning permission.

A planning application, submitted by South Gloucestershire Council and Network Rail, for a station, car park and highways improvements has been approved by the Local Planning Authority.

The general arrangement drawing shows planning approval.

The station will be built on land off Station Road in the centre of the village. It will include two platforms serving north and southbound journeys, a pedestrian footbridge, a bus stop, covered cycle parking, and car parking.

The station will improve access to jobs, further and higher education and a wider variety of services and facilities. It will also help to mitigate some of the impacts of recent permitted development in the area.

Now planning permission has been secured work will progress on detailed designs for the station and highways improvements. Once these are complete a full business case and a request for funding will be submitted to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

A new project programme will be shared later in the year.

A planning application has been submitted for a train station in Charfield.

The project team has submitted a planning application for the new station to the Local Planning Authority.

The proposed station, to be built on land off Station Road in the centre of the village, will include two platforms serving north and southbound journeys, a pedestrian footbridge, a bus stop, covered cycle parking, and car parking.

The planning application, which has been submitted jointly with Network Rail, also includes proposals for local highway improvements to enhance access to and from the station and car parking.

The Local Planning Authority, which will decide the application, has launched a public consultation, providing an opportunity for people to comment on the application.

You can view and comment on the application. Go to www.southglos.gov.uk/planning-applications and search application number P22/05778/R3F.

A 12-week public consultation on the proposals was held between 19 October 2021 and 10 January 2022.

You can still view the consultation documents. The results of the consultation are available in the Charfield Station Public Consultation report.