Pilning railway station

Pilning
A Great Western Railway Class 158 train passes Pilning in 2018.
General information
Location	Pilning, South Gloucestershire England
Coordinates	51°33′23″N 2°37′35″W / 51.5563°N 2.6265°W / 51.5563; -2.6265
Grid reference	ST566844
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	PIL
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
8 September 1863 (1863-09-08)	Opened
1 December 1886	Resited
9 July 1928	Low Level station opened
23 November 1964	Low Level station closed
29 November 1965	Closed to goods
5 November 2016	Westbound platform closed
Passengers
2018/19	458
2019/20	710
2020/21	210
2021/22	418
2022/23	338
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Pilning railway station is a minor station on the South Wales Main Line near Pilning, South Gloucestershire, England. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Bristol Temple Meads and is the last station on the English side before the Severn Tunnel through to Wales. It is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide the two train services per week from the station.

The station was opened by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway in 1863, but was resited in 1886 when the Severn Tunnel was opened. The station had an extensive goods yard, boasting one of the largest railway communities in the Bristol area, and operated a motorail service to Wales. In 1928 the original station was reopened on the Severn Beach Line, which allowed passengers and freight to reach Avonmouth Docks, though this only lasted until 1964. The goods yard was closed in 1965, and the station buildings later demolished, with very little in the way of facilities. Passenger services also declined, to two trains per day in the 1970s and the current service level of two trains per week in 2006.

The station's footbridge was removed in 2016 as part of Great Western Main Line electrification project, meaning that only eastbound trains can now use the station. Campaigners have alleged this is part of an attempted closure by stealth, although the incident raised the station's profile nationally. Pilning is one of the least-used stations in Britain, but passenger numbers have increased in recent years due to efforts by the Pilning Station Group.