text: clifton down railway station clifton down railway station is on the severn beach line and serves the district of clifton in bristol , england . it is 3 . 9 miles ( 6 . 3 km ) from bristol temple meads . its three letter station code is cfn . the station has two platforms , each serving trains in one direction only . as of 2015 it is managed by great western railway , which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997 . they provide all train services at the station , mainly a train every forty minutes in each direction between bristol temple meads and avonmouth . the station was opened in 1874 by the great western and midland railways as part of the clifton extension railway , designed to connect the port of avonmouth to the national rail network . the station had a large gothic revival building on the bristol - bound platform , with smaller passenger facilities on the opposite platform and a goods yard beyond . between 1903 and 1930 the station employed an average of 22 staff . excursion trains were a regular sight , bringing people to nearby bristol zoo . the severn beach line declined over the latter half of the twentieth century , with passenger numbers falling significantly . goods services at clifton down ended in 1965 , and all staff were withdrawn in 1967 . the line was largely reduced to single track in 1970 , leaving clifton down as one of the few passing places . services had decreased to ten per day each direction by 2005 , but have since increased to twenty - four trains per day . description clifton down railway station is on the severn beach line , serving the district of clifton in bristol . the station is located on the busy shopping street whiteladies road , next door to a shopping centre . the wider area is largely residential . bristol zoo is under a mile away . the station is located 3 miles 72 chains ( 6 . 3 km ) along the line from bristol temple meads , and 9 miles 51 chains ( 15 . 5 km ) from severn beach . it is the fifth station from temple meads . there are two running lines , roughly oriented east - west , but curving towards the north at both ends . there are two 120 - yard ( 110 m ) -long platforms to the north and south of the running lines , connected by a footbridge at the east end . the southern platform , platform 1 , serves trains towards avonmouth , the northern platform , platform 2 , serves trains towards temple meads . the station is in an enclosed cutting , and runs under the road to the east . to the west is the clifton down tunnel under clifton down , from which the station takes its name . the station is one of the few double track sections of the severn beach line , and so is often used as a passing place . facilities at the station are minimal – shelters , benches and timetable information are provided . customer help points give live train information . there is no ticket office , and no self - service ticket machines which can be used to buy or collect tickets . the station car park is to the north of the platforms , with 40 spaces . there is step - free access to the northern platform from the car park , and a set of steps from the footbridge . there is also stepped access to the footbridge from the south , and a ramp down to the southern platform . there is no taxi rank , but there are bus stops on whiteladies road . cycle storage is available on the platform . the disused station building 's bricked - up windows and doors feature artwork of animals created by students at redland green school , and promote links with nearby bristol zoo . the building is accessible from the car park , and houses an australian - themed pub . it is a grade ii listed building . services services at clifton down are all operated by great western railway , mainly using diesel class 150 sprinter units , occasionally supplemented by class 153 super sprinter and class 158 express sprinter units . until 2012 , class 143 pacer units were a regular sight , but these have mostly been moved south to work in devon and cornwall following a cascade of class 150 / 1 units from london midland and london overground . monday to friday , three trains every two hours run from bristol temple meads to avonmouth , with one extended to st andrew 's road and severn beach , giving a service at clifton down of one train in each direction every 40 minutes . most services start at bristol , but one evening service to avonmouth begins at weston - super - mare . on saturdays there is a similar level of service , but more trains continue to severn beach . sunday sees a roughly hourly service to and from bristol , with only two services extending to severn beach , except during the may – september timetable period , when all services are extended . the first and last sunday trains towards bristol are extended to taunton via weston - super - mare , and there are similar workings in the other direction . as clifton down is the severn beach line 's main passing point , trains to avonmouth usually arrive at the same time as trains to bristol temple meads . most trains call at all stations , but some services omit lawrence hill . the typical journey time to bristol temple meads is roughly 20 minutes , and 14 minutes to avonmouth . in 2012 , the single fare to temple meads was £ 1 . 50 , and £ 3 return for the whole line . history joint railway era the clifton extension railway was opened from narroways hill junction to clifton down as a joint venture between the great western railway and midland railway to connect their main lines to the bristol port railway and pier in the avon gorge . clifton down railway station opened on 1 october 1874 , when passenger services began , and was for a while the terminal station . it was the second station along the line from narroways hill junction where the extension railway left the bristol and south wales union railway 's main line to wales . it remained the second station until redland was opened in 1897 . the line was built at 4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1 , 435 mm ) standard gauge . the station was built by messrs baker & son of canon 's marsh , bristol . the buildings , constructed in a gothic revival style , cost £ 20 , 000 , with the main buildings on the northern platform . there was a large booking hall with sizeable fireplaces at each end . pointed ground floor doorways gave access to the hall , which was adjacent to the booking offices and waiting rooms . it is believed that the station master 's lodgings in this building were never used as such . a wide carriage drive led down to the northern platform , which was linked to the southern platform by a glass - covered footbridge . there was originally no waiting room on the southern platform , but one was built in october 1898 . the platforms were mostly covered by " ridge and furrow " glass roofs , supported by iron columns . the station was flooded in august 1883 , which resulted in the installation of extra drainage . there was a large goods yard to the south of the platforms , accessed from the west , with a 28 - lever signal box at the west end of the southern platform . the initial service provided at clifton down by the midland railway was to fishponds and mangotsfield , where passengers could change for services to bath , birmingham and other midland destinations . the great western provided services from clifton down to bristol temple meads , the city 's major station , where passengers could change for trains to london , exeter and wales , among others . the great western also provided occasional through services to weston - super - mare . there were a total of 23 trains in each direction between the two companies monday - saturday . on sundays , there was no midland service , but seven great western trains . the fare to temple meads was 6d first - class and 3d third - class . the clifton down tunnel , the final link to the bristol port railway and pier , was opened in 1877 , initially allowing freight trains to reach avonmouth docks . it was not until 1885 that it was cleared for passenger use , which allowed services to avonmouth via sea mills and shirehampton . there was a trial midland service between bristol st philip 's and avonmouth in september 1885 , but this was ended after a month . in 1886 , the daily great western service was six trains each way between avonmouth and temple meads , 24 trains from clifton down to temple meads and 26 the other direction . the midland provided 12 services from clifton down to fishponds , and 11 back . clifton down had large numbers of excursion trains , both arriving and departing . there were regular trains during the summer season to weston - super - mare and clevedon , as well as to weymouth , london and , more locally , football specials to ashton gate . there were also regular excursion trains , known as " monkey specials " for visitors to the nearby bristol zoo . in 1886 , the bath and west show being held on durdham down generated some 33 , 000 extra passengers over five days , with direct services from bath green park and an extra 16 services from temple meads . the show was held on durdham down again in 1921 , temporarily increasing traffic from temple meads by 12 trains per day , although there was increased competition from local bus services . the station also received visits from king edward vii in 1902 and 1908 ( the former as a prince ) , and from a delegation of british empire prime ministers in 1907 . the line had initially been managed by the clifton extension railway joint committee , but in 1894 the line 's management was passed to the great western & midland railways joint committee . in 1909 , the station master at redland was withdrawn , his duties incorporated into the job of clifton down station master . in 1910 , clifton down saw 17 great western services from avonmouth to temple meads and 15 the other way , a further 20 trains each day operating between clifton and temple meads , and 13 midland trains each way between clifton and fishponds or mangotsfield . midland services were suspended from 1 january 1917 to 15 may 1919 due to the first world war . the hotwells section of the bristol port railway and pier closed in 1922 , so to compensate , an additional six trains were provided from clifton down to avonmouth , and four back . in 1923 , grouping resulted in the midland railway being absorbed into the london , midland and scottish railway ( lms ) , and the line continued in a joint arrangement between the great western and the lms . from 1924 , many trains to avonmouth were extended to severn beach , a growing seaside resort , and some on to pilning , then back to temple meads via patchway . between 1903 and 1930 the station employed an average of 22 staff , and in 1926 the station master assumed control over montpelier as well . the platform canopies were partially removed in the 1930s , and bomb - damage during the bristol blitz saw them cut back further . the war also saw the end of services to fishponds and mangotsfield , the last operating on 31 march 1941 . by 1947 , just before the start of the british rail era , there were 33 services each direction between avonmouth and temple meads , and 18 on sundays . some trains made circular trips to and from temple meads via clifton down and henbury or pilning . british rail and privatisation when the railways were nationalised in 1948 , services at clifton down came under the aegis of the western region of british railways , and there remained a strong staff presence in 1958 , with a station master , chief booking clerk , four other clerks , six porters , a shunter , a checker and a weighbridge assistant . passenger numbers however dropped sharply in 1961 as the result of a fare increase , and so in 1962 a new reduced timetable was enacted , which lost more passengers , and saw the withdrawal of a special schoolchildren 's service . a year later in 1963 , the beeching report suggested that all services along the severn beach line be withdrawn . following meetings with staff , it was decided to keep the line open to severn beach , but to close the section to pilning , and also end services via henbury . these services duly ended , and in july 1965 the goods yard at clifton down also closed . the line however was still threatened , and on 10 february 1967 it was announced that all services between stapleton road and severn beach would be discontinued . an enquiry followed , and in june that year the decision was reversed , on the condition that tickets be issued on the trains . thus , on 17 july 1967 , all stations along the line , including clifton down , had their staff withdrawn . the decrease of costs allowed a reduction of ticket prices , but the line was still under threat until in june 1969 it was decided that the line 's closure would result in significant hardship , and so a grant was allocated to ensure continued services . service levels however still declined : though the " monkey specials " were still going strong into the 1960s , with 340 , 000 excursion passengers arriving between 1958 and 1966 , the closure of many of the welsh valley lines and the construction of the severn bridge led to their demise in the early 1970s . most of the severn beach line was reduced to single track in late 1970 , leaving clifton down as one of the few passing places . the glass platform canopies were completely removed in may 1971 , and the glass - covered footbridge was also removed , leaving a set of steps from whiteladies road as the only access to the southern platform . in the late 1970s and the early 1980s , the clifton down shopping centre was built over most of the goods yard , the rest covered by a housing development . british rail was split into business - led sectors in the 1980s , at which time operations at clifton down passed to regional railways . a programme of refurbishment was carried out in 1992 / 3 , including the installation of a new metal footbridge and ramp access to the southern platform . in december 1994 , the station building , which had been bricked up when staff were withdrawn , and was by then the steam tavern public house , was designated a grade ii listed building , along with the screen walls . it is still in use as a pub , and has been called the roo bar since at least 2005 . at this time , all trains ran to severn beach , but the service pattern was irregular . this changed in 1995 when an hourly timetable was introduced for peak times , but services were terminated at avonmouth , allowing a single sprinter unit to work the service . there was a better service on saturdays as more rolling stock was available , but there was no sunday service . talk arose again of the line being closed completely . local tourism expert bernard lane described the line 's state as ... the line the railway wished was not there . it was the line that got bus substitution whenever they were short of trains or queues , when a rugby match in cardiff needed a special . it has a problem in that the route is slow and not very direct ; for years it was invisible , short of marketing and lacking a regular interval timetable . when the railway was privatised in 1997 , local services were franchised to wales & west , which was succeeded by wessex trains , an arm of national express , in 2001 . following action by friends of severn beach railway ( fosbr ) and a string of protests , services had increased to 10 per day in each direction by 2005 , with bristol city council providing a subsidy to wessex trains . the wessex franchise was amalgamated with the great western franchise into the greater western franchise from 2006 , and responsibility passed to first great western , a subsidiary company of firstgroup , rebranded in 2015 as great western railway . a minimum service requirement was written into the franchise agreement , ensuring an hourly service along the line . in 2007 , the council unanimously agreed to pay £ 450 , 000 per annum to fund extra services from may 2008 for three years , which resulted in a 60 % increase in passenger numbers along the line , and a 110 % increase at clifton down . sunday services to severn beach were restored in 2010 . passenger numbers at clifton down were further boosted by a marketing campaign by the severnside community rail partnership to attract more people , especially students , to use the station . the work won a department for transport community rail marketing award in 2007 . the severnside crp also formed a support group for the station , and improved the provision of timetabling information through the use of simplified departure timetable posters . in 2009 , they painted a large station sign on the road bridge over the line , and in 2010 they collaborated with redland green school to decorate the bricked - up windows and doors of the station building with animal artwork to brighten up the station and promote bristol zoo . the work won a community rail award . customer help points with next train information screens were installed during 2008 / 09 , paid for by money from the department for transport 's " access for all " fund and local councils . ticket machines were installed in early 2011 , following complaints that passengers were unable to pay their fares . future first great western declined a contractual option to continue the greater western passenger franchise ( of which services at clifton down are a part ) beyond 2013 , citing a desire for a longer - term contract due to the impending upgrade to the great western main line . the franchise was put out to tender , but the process was halted and later scrapped due to the fallout from the collapse of the intercity west coast franchise competition . a two - year franchise extension until september 2015 was agreed in october 2013 , and subsequently extended until march 2019 . with the coming upgrade to the great western main line , the main line from london to bristol is due to be electrified by 2016 . however , the electrification will not extend beyond the main lines , so clifton down will continue to be served by diesel trains , with the current " sprinter " units expected to be replaced by class 165 and 166 " turbo " units . stephen williams , mp for bristol west , questioned whether electrification could continue to clifton down . then - secretary of state for transport philip hammond replied that it would have to be looked at in the future . the group friends of suburban bristol railways supports the electrification of the entire severn beach line . improved services at clifton down are called for as part of the greater bristol metro scheme , a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the bristol area . there is an aspiration for half - hourly services , with trains towards bristol terminating alternately at portishead and bath spa , however due to the large sections of the severn beach line which are single - track and to the congested main line from temple meads , such frequency is not currently feasible . the scheme was given the go - ahead in july 2012 as part of the city deal , whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government . there are also calls for the reopening of the henbury loop line , which could allow a direct service from clifton down to bristol parkway via avonmouth . plans for a loop were rejected by the west of england joint transport board , however bristol city councillors voted to send the decision back to the board for further discussion .