Bridge 4 June 1838, completed throughout to Bristol 30 June 1841 Hayle Railway opened 23 December 1837, closed for rebuilding 16 February 1852, reopened by West Cornwall Railway Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway opened Swindon to Cirencester 31 May 1841, opened throughout to Cheltenham 13 October 1847 Bristol and Exeter Railway opened to Bridgwater 14 June 1841, completed in stages to Exeter 1 May 1844, amalgamated with GWR 1 January 1876 Cornwall Minerals Railway opened 1 June 1874 replacing and connecting several earlier railways and tramways. Amalgamated with GWR 1 July 1896 Par Tramway, construction started c.1841, completed north of Pontsmill 1847, extended to Par Harbour 1855 Newquay Railway authorised by Act of Parliament 1844, completed 1849 Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened 1 June 1869, closed 1 January 1880, transferred to CMR 27 June 1893 and reopened 1893 Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway opened 1 July 1869, transferred to CMR 1 June 1874 Liskeard and Caradon Railway opened 28 November 1844, vested in GWR 1 July 1909 Shrewsbury and Chester Railway opened 4 November 1846, amalgamated with GWR 1 September 1854 South Devon Railway opened 30 May 1846, completed in stages to Plymouth 2 April 1849, amalgamated with GWR 1 February 1876 Torquay branch opened 18 December 1848 South Devon and Tavistock Railway opened 22 June 1859 Dartmouth and Torbay Railway completed 16 August 1864 Launceston and South Devon Railway opened 22 June 1865 Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway opened 4 July 1866 Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway opened 1 May 1872 Berks and Hants Railway opened Reading to Hungerford 21 December 1847 and Reading to Basingstoke 1 November 1848; Berks and Hants Extension Hungerford to Devizes opened 11 November 1862 Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, opened Chippenham to Westbury 5 September 1848; completed in stages to Weymouth 20 January 1857 Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened 1 June 1849, amalgamated with GWR 1 September 1854 South Wales Railway opened Chepstow to Landore 18 June 1850, Chepstow Bridge opened 19 June 1862, amalgamated with GWR 1 January 1862 Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway opened 19 September 1851 Vale of Neath Railway opened 24 September 1851, amalgamated into GWR 1 February 1865 West Cornwall Railway opened 11 March 1852 including previous Hayle Railway, transferred to GWR 1 January 1868 Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway opened 11 July 1853 Wycombe Railway opened 1 August 1854 Abingdon Railway opened 2 June 1856