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.

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

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

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

References

  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

External links

51°39′14″N 1°14′13″W / 51.654°N 1.237°W / 51.654; -1.237