The line was built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway with Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the engineer. The section from Bristol to Bridgwater was opened on 14 June 1841 and it was completed to Taunton on 1 July 1842. It was initially operated by the Great Western Railway (GWR) as an extension of their line from London Paddington and formed part of the 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge trunk route to Penzance on which through trains were run from 1867, but in the same year the section between Highbridge and Durston was reconstructed as a mixed gauge line to accommodate local 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge traffic. The remainder of the line was laid with mixed gauge by 1 June 1875 and broad gauge trains ceased operation on 20 May 1892.[2]
The Bristol and Exeter Railway took over its own operations from 1 May 1849 but amalgamated with the GWR on 1 January 1876.
On 1 July 1906 the Langport and Castle Cary Railway line was opened which enabled London to Taunton trains to run on a shorter route instead of the "Great Way Round" through Bristol.
On leaving Bristol Temple Meads the line passes through suburban Bedminster and Parson Street railway stations.[5] This section of the route has three tracks and, as far as Bedminster, the centre track is reversible to give some flexibility for regulating trains in the Temple Meads area. After passing through a short, deep cutting at Parson Street, the Portbury branch line diverges on the right.
Beyond Yatton the line runs across the low-lying North Marsh with level crossings at Hewish and Puxton and Worle, where an old signal box is retained to supervise the two level crossings. The line passes beneath the M5 motorway approaching Puxton and then comes to Worle railway station on the outskirts of Weston-super-Mare. A short distance beyond the station is Worle Junction where a single-track branch diverges to the right to serve Weston Milton and Weston-super-Mare railway stations.[6] There is a crossing loop at Weston-super-Mare, beyond which the single track continues to rejoin the main line at Uphill Junction.
The line has now swung round to head south. At Uphill there is a short, deep cutting crossed by a high brick bridge built by Brunel, known locally as "Devil's Bridge". The bridge is Grade II listed.[9] Beyond this lie the remains of Bleadon and Uphill railway station[6] (right). Passing across the Somerset Levels the line comes to the site of Brent Knoll railway station with the isolated hill that it was named for close by on the left. The next open station is Highbridge and Burnham; this is in Highbridge but also serves co-joined Burnham-on-Sea. The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway used to cross the line on the level just north of the station; their locomotive works were on the site of the industrial units visible to the left as the line passes through the station.
More level ground brings the line to Bridgwater where the goods yard is used for waste traffic from Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station. Beyond the station, on the right, used to be the carriage works of the Bristol and Exeter Railway[10] but the site is now lost beneath modern industrial units. The line now crosses over the River Parrett on the Somerset Bridge and then passes below the M5 again.
The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal now joins on the right for most of the way to Taunton. At Durston the former Yeovil branch line joins from the left.[2] A short cutting brings the line to Cogload Junction; the line towards Taunton climbs up here and crosses above the Reading to Taunton Line which it then joins to complete the journey to Taunton, passing Creech St Michael and the former junction of the Chard branch line on the left. The final run into Taunton sees the River Tone appear alongside on left and the canal passes beneath the line to join the river at Firepool, behind the site of the former goods yard on the same side.[2]
The line leaves Taunton and passes the engineer's depot at Fairwater Yard on the same side. The former Norton Fitzwarren railway station is the location of two serious collisions and a fatal train fire. The West Somerset Railway diverges on the right and work is under way to provide new facilities here for this heritage railway which includes relaying track for a short distance along the old Devon and Somerset Railway that formed a third route in between the main line and the West Somerset. On the left of the line an embankment marks the remains of the Grand Western Canal.
After passing over Victory Crossing at Bradford-on-Tone, the line starts to climb upwards. It passes through the remains of Wellington station and then under the A38 road at Beambridge, which was the site of the line's terminus while work was underway to excavate the Whiteball Tunnel at the top of Wellington Bank.[11] It was coming down here that City of Truro became the first locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[12]
Through the tunnel and into Devon, the M5 motorway comes alongside on the left and the line arrives at Tiverton Parkway, the railhead for much of north Devon via the A361 road that joins the motorway next to the station. A short distance further is Tiverton Loops, the site of the former Tiverton Junction railway station.
All stations on the route are served by Great Western Railway. Local trains generally operate between Cardiff Central and Taunton (calling at all stations between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton except Bedminster and Parson Street) and from Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare (calling at all stations from Temple Meads) combining to give a half-hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare throughout much of the day.[14] Through trains to and from London Paddington are also operated via Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton,[15] and direct from London via Westbury to Taunton and Exeter. Some services from Cardiff and many from London continue beyond Exeter towards Plymouth and Penzance.[16] Local trains are mostly formed from a mix of Class 165 and 166DMUs. London services are operated by using Class 800 and 802 trains.
Parts of this article (those related to Weston-super-Mare branch line) need to be updated. Please help update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2011)
The route has a line speed limit of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) with local variations, the main one being the 110 mph from approx. Bleadon (138-44) to Huntspill (147-00); trains from Bristol to Taunton are described as travelling in the 'down' direction. It is constructed to Route Availability 8 and freight loading gauge W8. It has Multiple Aspect Signals (MAS) and Track Circuit Block (TCB) controlled from the panel signal box at Bristol. A local signal box at Puxton and Worle controls the two level crossings at Hewish and Puxton, and an emergency panel at Weston-super-Mare can take control of the section from Hewish to Uphill Junction if required.
The 21st Century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line has included electrification of the main line from London to Bristol Parkway however this is not planned to be extended onto the Bristol to Exeter line.[18] Trains are now a hybrid of diesel and electric power (Bimodes) which can run on non electrified routes south of Bristol.
Avon County Planning Department (1983). Railways in Avon, a short history of their development and decline 1832 - 1982. Bristol: Avon County Planning Department. ISBN0-860631-84-2.
Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. ISBN0-906867-90-8.
Central Publicity Unit (Winter 1979). Railway Electrification. British Railways Board. pp. 0–2, 8.
