Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city. In addition to the train services there are bus services to many parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry to the city centre. Bristol's other main line station, Bristol Parkway, is on the northern outskirts of the conurbation.
Temple Meads was opened on 31 August 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway from London Paddington, 116 mi 31chain from Paddington. The railway was the first one designed by the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Soon the station was also used by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, the Bristol Harbour Railway and the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. To accommodate the increasing number of trains, the station was expanded in the 1870s by Francis Fox and again between 1930-35 by Percy Emerson Culverhouse. Brunel's terminus is no longer part of the operational station. The historical significance of the station has been noted, and most of the site is Grade I listed.
The platforms are numbered 1 to 15 but passenger trains are confined to just eight tracks. Most platforms are numbered separately at each end, with odd numbers at the east end and even numbers at the west. Platform 2 is not signalled for passenger trains, and there is no platform 14.
Temple Meads is managed by Network Rail and the majority of services are operated by the present-day Great Western Railway. Other operators are CrossCountry and South West Trains. In the 12 months to March 2014, 9.5 million entries and exits were recorded at the station.