Honeybourne Railway Station - Present Day

Present Day

Residential development around Honeybourne partly due to its proximity to Long Lartin prison, as well as pressure from the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, led to the ceremonial reopening of the station on 22 May 1981, with the first public services running two days later. The southernmost of Honeybourne's five former platforms was reopened, in what was British Rail's 66th station reopening since 1966. Passenger facilities were very basic and consisted only of a Portakabin and a Portaloo. On the night of 15 May 1985, the reinstated South Loop was used to stable the Royal Train which was being used by Prince Philip while visiting the area. In 1981, the structure of Honeybourne North box was donated to the heritage railway by a local resident who had erected it in his garden as a shed. It was subsequently reused at Toddington as a classroom for the Signal & Telegraph department.

Until 22 August 2011 only a single platform face was in use at the station. However, as part of a £67 million project to redouble the Cotswold Line between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh and Ascott-under-Wychwood to Charlbury, a second platform face on a rebuilt island platform was brought into operation for services on the reinstated "Up" line. The new platform, which has an operational length of 140 m (150 yd), is numbered "2", whilst the original platform is renumbered "1". Passive provision was made for the eventual arrival of the heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in the shape of a third platform face on the "Down" side of the new platform. The works also involved relocating the connection to and from the branch to Long Marston to the Evesham side of the station together with a trailing crossover and laying three new sidings for track machines formerly stabled at Moreton-in-Marsh. The first steam through the new platform 2 took place on 17 September 2011 when GWR steam locomotive 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe hauled a Vintage Trains Cathedrals Express from Tyseley to London Paddington via Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford, the first time a steam train had run on the "Up" line for 40 years.

The track to the north remains as a link to the large ex-Ministry of Defence depot at Long Marston. The Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society aimed to adopt this stretch as a heritage railway and restore the line to Stratford. However, the society has since been dissolved, leaving any heritage connection to be made by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

The Shakespeare Line Promotion Group is promoting a scheme to reinstate the 9 miles (14 km) "missing Link" between Honeybourne and Stratford. Called the "Avon Rail Link", the scheme would make Stratford-upon-Avon railway station a through station once again with improved connections to the Cotswolds and the South. The aim of the scheme is to rejuvenate tourism and business within Stratford.

Passenger services at Honeybourne are operated by First Great Western.