Culham railway station

Culham railway station serves the village of Culham in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot Parkway and Banbury, 56 miles 17 chains (90.5 km) from London Paddington. It is served by local train services provided by Great Western Railway.

Culham
National Rail
General information
LocationCulham, South Oxfordshire
England
Grid referenceSU529953
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCUM
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Opened1844
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Pre-groupingGWR
Post-groupingGWR
Passengers
2019/20Increase 107,072
2020/21Decrease 21,586
2021/22Increase 60,142
2022/23Increase 80,752
2023/24Decrease 72,232
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is just off the A415 road, between the villages of Culham and Clifton Hampden.

It is close to Culham Science Centre, an 80-hectare (200-acre) scientific research site housing two nuclear fusion experiments: JET and MAST. The Science Centre was built on the site of RNAS Culham (HMS Hornbill), a World War II airfield.

History

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The Great Western Railway opened the station on the DidcotOxford line as Abingdon Road on 12 June 1844. Its name was changed by the GWR to Culham, on 2 June 1856, on the opening of the branch from Abingdon Junction to Abingdon.

The original station building (no longer in railway use) is in the Tudor Revival architecture of Isambard Kingdom Brunel[1] and is a Grade II* listed building.

The name Abingdon Road was later re-used for an entirely different station about 5.5 miles (9 km) to the north, Abingdon Road Halt, opened in 1908.

In some recent years passenger numbers using Culham have changed rapidly. The total increased 67% in the three years 2006–09, but then decreased slightly in 2010.[2]

Services

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A Class 165 with a GWR service to Oxford

All services at Culham are operated by Great Western Railway.

The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, with alternate trains continuing beyond Oxford to and from Banbury every two hours. Additional services call at the station during the peak hours.[3]

No services call at the station on Sundays.

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Great Western Railway
Monday-Saturday only
Disused railways
Great Western Railway

References

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  1. ^ Biddle, Gordon; Nock, O.S. (1983). The Railway Heritage of Britain. Michael Joseph. ISBN 0-7181-2355-7.
  2. ^ Office of the Rail Regulator data: see infobox at head of article.
  3. ^ Table 116 National Rail timetable, December 2023
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51°39′14″N 1°14′13″W / 51.654°N 1.237°W / 51.654; -1.237