Yeovil Pen Mill railway station

Yeovil Pen Mill railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Yeovil, Somerset, England. The station is situated just under a mile to the east of the town centre.

For the station on the London Waterloo to Exeter line, see Yeovil Junction railway station.

Yeovil Pen Mill
LocationYeovil, South Somerset
England
Coordinates50.945°N 2.613°W / 50.945; -2.613
Grid referenceST570163
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms3 (facing 2 tracks)
Other information
Station codeYVP
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1854Opened
Passengers
2015/16 0.130 million
2016/17 0.141 million
2017/18 0.137 million
2018/19 0.140 million
2019/20 0.144 million
 Interchange  5,245
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is located 59.5 miles (96 km) south of Bristol Temple Meads, on the Heart of Wessex Line. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, with trains being operated by them and by South Western Railway.

History
Semaphore signals at Pen Mill

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) as part of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth route on 2 February 1854. The GWR opened a locomotive depot at the station in September 1856, which operated until January 1959, when it was closed and the locomotives transferred to Yeovil Town depot.

Bristol and Exeter Railway line from Taunton, initially terminating at Yeovil Town, had been extended to connect with the GWR at Yeovil Pen Mill from 2 February 1857. In June 1874, both these lines (GWR and B&ER) were converted from their original broad gauge to what had become the standard gauge.

A connection between the GWR line and the Southern Railway line to Exeter was established during World War II to allow trains direct access between Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Pen Mill. This was opened on 13 October 1943 and offered a new route for trains of war materials as well as a diversion route in the event of bomb damage.[1]

Accidents and incidents

A passenger train overran a signal on 8 August 1913 and hit the rear of another passenger train. Two people were killed and ten injured.[2][3]

Services
South Western Railway (left) and Great Western Railway (right) trains

Great Western Railway operate the majority of services at Pen Mill on their route between Weymouth and Gloucester via Bristol Temple Meads.[4]

South Western Railway operate a few services between London Waterloo and Pen Mill, some via Yeovil Junction and others via Westbury. The company also runs a service on summer Saturdays between Weymouth and Yeovil Junction via Pen Mill between late May and early September.[5]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Castle Cary   Great Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line		   Thornford
Castle Cary   South Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line		   Yeovil Junction
Thornford
Summer Saturdays		    

Other stations in Yeovil
Railways in Yeovil

The town is also served by Yeovil Junction railway station, on the West of England Main Line, and served by South Western Railway. Commencing December 2015 a limited regular passenger service began using the rail connection between the two lines. The two stations are just under two miles apart by road.

References
  1. Jackson, B.L. (2003). Yeovil, 150 Years of Railways. Usk: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-612-4.
  2. Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4. Truro: Atlantic Books. p. 17. ISBN 0-906899-07-9.
  3. "Great Western Railway" (PDF). Board of Trade. 27 August 1913. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  4. "Cardiff and Bristol to the South Coast" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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