The Cotswold Line is a railway line running from Oxford to Worcester, serving the intermediate towns of Moreton-in-Marsh, Evesham and Pershore. Some services continue to Hereford via Malvern.

Route

Towns and villages served by stations on the line are listed below, from east to west. The distance of the station from Oxford is given in kilometres.

• Oxford
• Hanborough (sometimes called Handborough, 11 km from Oxford)
• Combe (13 km)
• Finstock (19 km)
• Charlbury (21 km)
• Ascott-under-Wychwood (27 km)
• Shipton (29 km)
• Kingham (34 km)
• Moreton-in-Marsh (45 km)
• Honeybourne (62 km)
• Evesham (70 km)
• Pershore (79 km)
• Worcester Shrub Hill (92 km)
• Worcester Foregate Street (93 km)
• Malvern Link (104 km)
• Great Malvern (105 km)
• Colwall (110 km)
• Ledbury (117 km)
• Hereford (139 km)

Stations which have closed, many under the Beeching Axe were situated at Yarnton , Adlestrop , Blockley, Campden, Littleton and Badsey , Fladbury , Stoulton , Norton Junction, Rushwick (also called Henwick ), Bransford Road, Newland Halt, Malvern Wells, Ashperton , Stoke Edith and Withington .

There are proposals for new stations at Rushwick and Withington . A long standing proposal for a new station at Worcester Parkway where the line crosses the Birmingham to Bristol line has made little progress.

Infrastructure

The line is single track between the following locations.

• Wolvercot Junction (5 km North of Oxford) and Ascott-under-Wychwood .
• Moreton-in-Marsh and Norton Junction (5 km South East of Worcester), with a crossing place at Evesham.
• Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street .
• Malvern Wells and Hereford with a crossing place at Ledbury.

Other sections are double track.

Significant civil engineering structures on the line include Campden Tunnel (800 m in length), Colwall New Tunnel (1433 m), Ledbury Tunnel (1210 m) and viaducts at Worcester and Ledbury.

Services

Stopping patterns vary. No train calls at all the stations on the line.

First Great Western and First Great Western Link operate services between Oxford and Worcester with some continuing to Reading and London Paddington at the East end of the line and to Hereford in the West. Between Worcester and Hereford there are additional services operated by Central Trains. Wessex Trains operate an infrequent service between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill as an extension of their Bristol-Worcester service.

History

The line between Oxford and Worcester was constructed under an 1845 Act of Parliament and opened in 1851 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway .

The Act required the line to be built to Brunel's broad gauge but delays, disputes and increasing costs led to it being completed at standard gauge.

The Worcester and Hereford Railway opened in stages between 1859 and 1861 when it merged with the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway to form the West Midland Railway .

The West Midland Railway became part of the Great Western Railway in 1863.

Poetry

The line features in two well known poems.

Adlestrop by Edward Thomas (poet) and Pershore Station, or A Liverish Journey First Class by Sir John Betjeman

External Link

The Cotswold Line Promotion Group is a voluntary organisation with the aim of safeguarding and promoting improvements to rail and bus feeder services along the line.