Salisbury Station, 2025 edition

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

Changing trains there yesterday for the second time in a week, and towards both ends of the day. In the morning, the 06:04 from Bath has a ten minute pause at Westbury built into the timetable, and arrived into Salisbury with a cross-platform change into the 05:10 from Exeter, which has a similar ten minutes call in the timetable, so this felt relaxed in a good way. At the other end of the day, about a dozen people on to the 21:42 to Cardiff not many of which had come in on the connection from Waterloo. Not many on the Portsmouth  train as it made its onward journey.

Salisbury platform 4 now having a waiting room, and it being open in the evenings, is a big improvement for travellers. The small scale but pervasive seasonal decoration of the booking office must have been a welcome sight for the people travelling with children earlier in the week.

The other day, ok, holidays, I don't think this was subjective, the number of groups travelling with children on the SW main line made the passenger mix visibly distinct from the impressions often given by the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) main line.

The photo shows the 19:50 sunset service out of a busy Waterloo Station for Salisbury, five minutes before the off. The platform isdeserted because the passengers were all boarded at this point, filling the 3 carriages to a cheerful 100% capacity, the service feeling capacity constrained (and missing an extension to a string of additional destinations).

Mark

[bobm]

Meanwhile out the front.

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/upcoming-resurfacing-work-at-salisbury-railway-station-forecourt-marks-next-milestone-in-this-key-project-for-salisbury

As the final phase of enhancements at Salisbury Railway Station progresses, a key milestone is coming up with plans to resurface the station forecourt area.

Works will be taking place overnight on the 22 -24 April 2025 (inclusive) to install additional drainage gullies immediately outside of the station building entrance. These works need to be completed prior to the proposed resurfacing works.

From 8pm on Friday 25 April to 4am Tuesday 29 April (24 hour working including both day and night working), the station forecourt will be closed to vehicular traffic from South Western Road. Pedestrian access to and from the railway station, South Western Road and the lower car park will remain available for the duration of the closure.

Drop off and pick up points will temporarily be located in the lower car park and visitors seeking to access the Stonehenge Tour buses should follow the signed route to their temporary location. Accessible parking bays will be available in the lower car park and be positioned as close as possible to the main station entrance. Access to / egress from the lower car park will be available for the duration of the closure via Churchfields Road only. Taxis will temporarily be relocated to South Western Road.

The station's cycle hub will remain accessible from Churchfields Road and Mill Road.

Railway customers will be able to use the new Fisherton Car Park located at the former East Goods Yard site. The car park will open to coincide with the road closure period for resurfacing works and will remain open for the foreseeable future.

To ensure smooth operations, four traffic marshals will be on duty from Friday 25 April until Tuesday 29 April. Three marshals will be stationed in the forecourt area and one will be positioned in Churchfields Road to manage pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Parvis Khansari, Corporate Director Place, said: We apologise in advance for any inconvenience and disturbance caused by these works. This is anticipated to be the last time we will need to undertake 24 hour working during this project.

We would like to thank in particular the residents of Churchfields Road for their patience and continued co-operation in delivering this important scheme for Salisbury.

Once the Station Forecourt scheme is complete it will provide a more attractive, and welcoming environment for visitors and residents alike.

The Station Forecourt project forms part of the £9 million investment from the Future High Streets Fund.