The Severn Beach Line declined over the latter half of the twentieth century, with passenger numbers falling significantly.

Pointed ground floor doorways gave access to the hall, which was adjacent to the booking offices and waiting rooms.

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.

[2] 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.

There was a trial Midland service between Bristol St Philip's and Avonmouth in September 1885, but this was ended after a month.

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.

The station also received visits from King Edward VII in 1902 and 1908, and from a delegation of British Empire Prime Ministers in 1907.

[1] 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.

[2] 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.

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.

[1] 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.

[2] 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.

[1] In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the Clifton Down Shopping Centre was built over most of the goods yard,[5] the rest covered by a housing development.

[6][1] 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.

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.

[4]When the railway was privatised in 1997, local services were franchised to Wales & West,[10] which was succeeded by Wessex Trains, an arm of National Express, in 2001.

[11] 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,[1] with Bristol City Council providing a subsidy to Wessex Trains.

[19] 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.

[23] 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.

[30] 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.

[48] The group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways supports the electrification of the entire Severn Beach Line.

[50][51] 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.

[52][53] 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.

[54] 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.