Gloucestershire steam train station reopens after 1960s closure

A railway station in Gloucestershire which closed in 1960 has reopened after being renovated by volunteers.

The Hayes Abbey halt near Winchcombe had completely disappeared thanks to of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Heritage Railway Trust it has been restored.

The Halt has been built by a team from the railway’s 900-plus volunteers and has been designed to look much like the original, even down to a simple corrugated iron waiting shelter on the platform which was rescued from Usk.

The Halt was opened in 1928 by the Great Western Railway specifically to serve the nearby Cistercian Abbey which had also opened as a visitor attraction.

However the train service, which ran between Cheltenham and Honeybourne Junction, ceased in 1960 and almost all trace of the Halt had since disappeared.

It was opened by Lord Neidpath, the Earl of Wemyss, who lives in the Cotswolds.

The trust says it is just one of a number of projects being carried out by volunteers.

Glyn Cornish, the Chairman Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust says they want to restore as much of the line as possible.

Today the Abbey is cared for and run by English Heritage and the site is owned by the National Trust.

Opening of the Halt will restore the rail connection for visitors choosing to take the short walk to the Abbey from the platform.