Editing Bristol Parkway railway station (section)

== Description ==
Bristol Parkway is located in the unitary authority of [[South Gloucestershire]], in the [[Stoke Gifford]] area of the [[Bristol urban area|Bristol conurbation]]. The immediate surrounding area is mostly residential, with farmland to the south east.<ref name="OS">{{cite book |title=OS Landranger Map 172 – Bristol & Bath |year=2008 |publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]] |location=[[Southampton]] |isbn=978-0-319-22914-9}}</ref> The main road access is from the west, with the station situated close to the [[M4 motorway|M4]], [[M5 motorway|M5]] and [[M32 motorway]]s – the latter being the Bristol "Parkway" from which the station takes its name<ref name="bbchistory">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_7767000/7767453.stm|title=M32 'like dagger thrust' into city|access-date=22 September 2013|date=9 December 2008|work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> – as well as the [[A4174 road|A4174 Avon Ring Road]].<ref name="OS"/> The station is on the [[South Wales Main Line]] from London to [[Swansea]], {{convert|111|mi|68|chain|km|2}} from the eastern terminus at [[London Paddington station|London Paddington]].<ref name="StnELR">{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/stations/stationb.shtm|title=Railway station data, location B|access-date=22 September 2013|author=Deaves, Phil}}</ref><ref name="chains" group="note">Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in [[Chain (unit)|miles and chains]]. There are 80 chains to the mile.</ref> It is also on the [[Cross Country Route]] from {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} to {{rws|York}}.

Just to the west of the station is Stoke Gifford Junction, where the [[Henbury Loop Line]] to [[Avonmouth Docks]] and Cross Country Route to Temple Meads diverge from the line to South Wales.<ref name="Baker">{{cite book|first=S.K.|last=Baker|title=Rail Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland|edition=12th|year=2010|isbn=978-0-86093-632-9|publisher=Ian Allan}}</ref> [[Stoke Gifford depot|Stoke Gifford train maintenance depot]] is within the junction's confines.<ref name="depotapproval">{{Cite news |date=2 February 2012 |title=Bristol rail depot scheme given planning approval |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-16834629 |access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref> To the east is a [[Network Rail]] maintenance training centre.<ref name="curtins">{{cite web|url=http://www.curtins.com/projects/transport/bristol-parkway-maintenance-centre.html |title=Bristol Parkway Maintenance Centre |publisher=Curtins |access-date=24 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928014548/http://www.curtins.com/projects/transport/bristol-parkway-maintenance-centre.html |archive-date=28 September 2013 }}</ref><ref name="ontrack" /> The next station north along the Cross Country Route is {{rws|Yate}}, the next station south is {{rws|Filton Abbey Wood}}. The next station east along the South Wales Main Line is {{rws|Swindon}}, and the next station west is {{rws|Patchway}}, although only two trains per day call at both Bristol Parkway and Patchway.<ref name="Baker" /><ref name="FGWTTC1" /><ref name="FGWTTC4" /><ref name="XC" />

The station is on an east–west alignment, with the main station building and car park to the north of the line.<ref name="nrfacilities" /> There are six lines through the station, of which the inner four have platforms, the outer two being goods loops. There is a goods yard adjacent to the station to the south.<ref name="OS" /><ref name="Baker" /><ref name="nrwrspeed" /> The station has four platforms, numbered 1 to 4 from south to north. Platforms 1 and 2 share an island to the south of the two central lines; platform 1 is on the south side of the island and serves southbound trains towards Bristol Temple Meads. Platform 2 is on the north side of the island and serves westbound trains towards Wales and Bristol Temple Meads. Platforms 3 and 4 share an island to the north of the two central running lines. Platform 3 serves mainly inter-city trains towards London and {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}, while platform 4 is usually reserved for local services. An enclosed footbridge provides access to the platforms, approximately a third of the way along platforms 2 and 3 (from west to east), and at the west end of platforms 1 and 4.<ref name="nrfacilities" /><ref name="Oakley" /> Platforms 2 and 3 are opposite each other, while platforms 1 and 4 are offset from platform 3, starting at the footbridge and extending further to the east. All platforms are {{convert|280|m|yd}} long. Platforms 1, 3 and 4 are signalled for bidirectional running, while platform 2 is unidirectional.<ref name="nrwrspeed" /> The footbridge can be accessed by both stairs and lifts.<ref name="nrfacilities" />

The station building, a metal construction with a curved roof, opened in 2001.<ref name="Oakley">{{cite book|title=Gloucestershire Railway Stations|author=Oakley, Mike|year=2003|publisher=The Dovecote Press|location=[[Wimborne Minster|Wimbourne, Dorset]]|isbn=1-904349-24-2|pages=29–30}}</ref> It contains a booking office, waiting rooms, payphones, cash machines, shops, toilets and a café overlooking the tracks.  There are waiting rooms on each platform, as well as vending machines and LED displays giving next train information. Ticket barriers are in use at the station. The [[pay and display|pay-and-display]] car park, run by [[APCOA Parking|APCOA]], has 1,810 spaces.<ref name="nrfacilities" /><ref name="RAIL728-regional" /><ref name="atocstp" /><ref name="insidercarpark">{{cite news|url=http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/south-west/122939-/|title=Bristol Parkway Extension Launched|date=9 September 2014|access-date=9 September 2014|publisher=Insider Media Ltd}}</ref>

Bristol Parkway was among the first of a new generation of [[park and ride]] railway stations, and many passengers use it for that purpose. Over the decade 2002–2012, the number of passengers starting or ending a journey at Bristol Parkway grew by 1 million passengers per year to 2.25 million, with a further 740,000 passengers changing trains there, giving an annual footfall of just under 3 million passengers and making it the 216th busiest station in the country and the third busiest in the West of England (after Bristol Temple Meads and {{rws|Bath Spa}}) {{as of|2012|alt=as of the 2011/12 financial year}}.<ref name="atocstp">{{cite web|url=http://www.stationtravelplans.com/view-the-pilots?pilot_id=21|title=Station Travel Plans: National Pilot Programme – Bristol Parkway|publisher=[[Association of Train Operating Companies]]|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016020349/http://www.stationtravelplans.com/view-the-pilots?pilot_id=21|archive-date=16 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="ORR1112">{{cite web|url=http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/xlsx/station_usage_estimates_1112.xlsx|title=Station Usage Estimates 2011/12|publisher=[[Office of Rail and Road]]|access-date=23 September 2013}}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="ORR0203">{{cite web|url=http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/xls/stat_usage.xls|title=Station Usage Estimates 2002/03|publisher=[[Office of Rail and Road]]|access-date=23 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010205/http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/xls/stat_usage.xls|archive-date=28 September 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the 2006/07 financial year, over 100,000 passengers used Parkway to travel to or from Bristol Temple Meads,<ref name="RUSBRI">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/great%20western/great%20western%20rus%20baseline%20information/09.%20passenger%20demand/gw%20rus%20flows%20to%20from%20bristol%20.pdf|title=Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy – Key Flows to/from Bristol|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|access-date=23 September 2013|date=2006–2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001083959/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/great%20western/great%20western%20rus%20baseline%20information/09.%20passenger%20demand/gw%20rus%20flows%20to%20from%20bristol%20.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and a further 500,000 used it to travel to or from London Paddington.<ref name="RUSPAD">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/great%20western/great%20western%20rus%20baseline%20information/09.%20passenger%20demand/gw%20rus%20flows%20to%20from%20paddington.pdf|title=Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy – Key Flows to/from London Paddington|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|access-date=23 September 2013|date=2006–2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927182929/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/great%20western/great%20western%20rus%20baseline%20information/09.%20passenger%20demand/gw%20rus%20flows%20to%20from%20paddington.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The line through Bristol Parkway has a linespeed of {{convert|60|mph|kph}} on platforms 2 and 3 ({{convert|40|mph|kph}} westbound on platform 3), and {{convert|25|mph|kph}} on platform 4.<ref name="nrwrspeed">{{cite web|url=http://archive.nr.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/sectional%20appendix%20full%20pdf%20copies/western%20sectional%20appendix.pdff |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://archive.nr.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/sectional%20appendix%20full%20pdf%20copies/western%20sectional%20appendix.pdff |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Western Route Sectional Appendix|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|date=3 March 2018|access-date=25 April 2018|page=248}}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The [[loading gauge]] is [[Loading gauge#Great Britain|W8]], and the line handles over 20 million train tonnes per year.<ref name="NR13GWML">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3111_Route_2013_Great_Western_Main_Line.pdf|title=Route 13: Great Western Main Line|year=2006|access-date=23 September 2013|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014212403/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3111_Route_2013_Great_Western_Main_Line.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The lines through the station were electrified in late 2018 as part of the [[21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line]].<ref name="vision">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedFiles/networkrailcouk/Contents/Improvements/The_Great_Western/WesternVision.pdf|title=Modernising the Great Western|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|access-date=9 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413065743/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedFiles/networkrailcouk/Contents/Improvements/The_Great_Western/WesternVision.pdf|archive-date=13 April 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>