Appleford railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Appleford
code = APF


caption =
manager = First Great Western
locale = Appleford-on-Thames
borough = Vale of White Horse
line = Cherwell Valley Line
years = 12 June 1844
events = Station opens with the line
years1 = February 1849
events1 = Station closes
years2 = September 11 1933
events2 = Station reopens as Appleford Halt
years3 = May 5 1969
events3 = Renamed Appleford
lowusage0405 = 10,622
lowusage0506 = 11,134
lowusage0607 = 10,429
platforms = 2

Appleford railway station serves the village of Appleford-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is operated by First Great Western and is convert|8.25|mi|km|0 south of Oxford on the Cherwell Valley Line.

Layout

The station is awkwardly positioned on a humpback bridge and passengers must descend steep steps to the platforms.

Platform 1 is used for Northbound First Great Western services towards Oxford and Platform 2 is used for those towards London Paddington station.

History

It was opened originally with the line from Didcot to Oxford. The opening was 12 June 1844, having being planned and partly built by the Oxford Railway, which was absorbed into the Great Western Railway before the opening of the line. It was however closed after just a few years in February 1849.

It was reopened as Appleford Halt by the Great Western Railway on 11 September 1933 in a bid to compete with the growing competition from the buses.

The station then passed on to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Losing its "Halt" suffix and status on 5 May 1969, the station was served by Network South East when Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980's. Unusually, until recently it retained the original wooden platforms and corrugated iron pagoda-roofed waiting shelters. These have been replaced by "bus shelter"-like waiting shelters. It has never been staffed; originally passengers could purchase tickets at the village Post office, however since this has closed down, and ticketing facilities aren't present, passengers need to purchase tickets from the on-train conductor.

Services

Appleford station is served by stopping services run by First Great Western between Reading and Oxford. Most of these services start or continue as semi-fast services between Reading and London Paddington.

References

*
*