Charfield is among a host of new railway stations nationwide being built by local authorities to meet their transformative regional transport needs. With South Gloucestershire Council leading on the scheme, Octavius is working on behalf of Network Rail and alongside Great Western Railway to deliver the project.
South Gloucestershire village, Charfield, sits on the Bristol to Gloucester line and has been without a railway station for 60 years. This project will bring that to an end and is being funded by the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement for the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Key roads in and around Charfield are already suffering from congestion, something growth and housing developments could exacerbate. The aim of the new station is to offer local people an attractive alternative to car travel, relieving congestion, enabling growth, and giving better access to services and jobs. Making communities less car reliant is also a central element of West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s carbon reduction strategy.
Octavius, as lead contractor on the rail elements of the project are creating north and southbound platforms and a footbridge with both stair and lift access to connect them – providing step free access. Working in partnership with Great Western Railway, Octavius is prioritising the safe and uninterrupted operation of the railway during station construction, as well as meeting train operator requirements for ticketing and passenger information systems, lighting and platform furniture. Wider station estate and local highway work will be delivered by South Gloucestershire Council’s StreetCare division, meaning. strong relationships and effective coordination of activities are vital to minimise disruption as much as possible. All of these relationships will be vital right through to the final stages for a smooth entry in to service.
Enabling works such as track drainage and cable re-alignment, vegetation clearance and creating the construction compound have been completed and piling works are well underway. As construction progresses, and night works and traffic management commence, building community trust and understanding will be as vital to the project’s success as delivering high quality rail infrastructure.
As Charfield is jointly led by Network Rail and South Gloucestershire Council, the ability to work effectively with multiple principal stakeholders is essential to Octavius’ role. This dual-stakeholder model has allowed the project to balance national infrastructure priorities with local development goals.
Octavius has actively promoted the use of local resources to generate social value. Local subcontractors have been engaged for key packages of work, and several employment and training opportunities have been created for residents in the surrounding area. The project team also plan to work with community groups and schools to raise awareness of the scheme and its benefits. These efforts help embed the project within the local context and deliver tangible outcomes beyond the physical infrastructure.
Community engagement was also required to address residents’ initial concerns about the project. This required consultation, transparent communication and the flexibility to make adjustments to the design. A consultative approach was also essential to successfully navigate the planning process which led to revisions to meet both technical and community requirements.
Charfield Station is just one illustration of how Octavius is contributing to local authorities’ transformative regional transport initiatives in the west of England. Other examples announced in just the last 12 months include creating Okehampton Interchange new-build station, securing a place on Bristol Highways Assets and Civils framework, winning a major role on the Banwell bypass and being awarded the A38 Major Road Network (MRN) Improvement Scheme by North Somerset Council.
