Cirencester branch line

To reduce costs and maintain the viability of the line, lightweight four-wheel diesel railbuses were introduced, and they proved popular.

[1] During the construction period, an independent company called the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway obtained authorisation on 21 June 1836 to make a line from the GWR at Swindon, to Cheltenham by way of Stroud and Gloucester.

[2] As well as the main line between Swindon and Cheltenham, there was to be a branch to Cirencester, terminating at a place there referred to as Botany Bay.

[3] The money market was extremely depressed in the period following authorisation of the line, and subscriptions could not be secured to make material progress on construction.

In desperation, the directors determined to construct between Swindon and Cirencester only for the time being, for that would give the best chance of getting an income that would pay a dividend on the outlay.

The company arranged a provisional lease with the Great Western Railway, in which the GWR would pay £17,000 annually for the use of the (as yet unbuilt) line.

In November 1840 even that work proved impossible to finance, and attention reverted to the Swindon end of the line.

The main line company was not yet ready to purchase, but after a delay the transfer was agreed in January 1843.

The actual amalgamation took place on 1 July 1843; the GWR spent £230,000 in the acquisition of the line, which so far had cost the C&GWUR £600,000 to construct.

The original intention was to run railbuses through to Swindon to avoid a change of trains at Kemble, but this proved impossible as the lightweight vehicles did not reliably operate the signalling track circuits on the main line.

[11] In 2016, discussions took place regarding the potential of relaying 5 km of track from Kemble station to the edge of Cirencester[12] at Chesterton Halt.