Exmouth railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Exmouth | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Exmouth | ||
| Local authority | East Devon, Devon | ||
| Coordinates | Coordinates: | ||
| Operations | |||
| Station code | EXM | ||
| Managed by | First Great Western | ||
| Platforms in use | 1 | ||
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |||
| Annual Rail Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 * | 0.612 million | ||
| 2005/06 * | 0.611 million | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1 May 1861 | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Exmouth from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. | |||
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Exmouth station serves the town of Exmouth in Devon, England and is 18 km (11¼ miles) south east of Exeter St Davids
Contents |
[edit] History
The railway to Exmouth was opened on 1 May 1861. New docks were opened in 1868 and a short branch was laid to connect them to the goods yard.[1]
A branch line with a junction immediately beyond the end of the platforms was opened on 1 June 1903. This ran around the outskirts of Exmouth on a long, curving viaduct, and then on to Tipton St Johns where it connected with an earlier line to Sidmouth Junction railway station. This route was used for through trains from London Waterloo station and also a few trains from the North of England which ran via the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and Templecombe railway station.
The original station consisted of a single platform with a track on either side. It was rebuilt with four platform faces, opening on 20 July 1924. An engine shed was provided from the earliest days on the east side of the station, opposite the platforms. It was closed on 8 November 1963 following the introduction of DMU services on the line.
The signal box was closed on 10 March 1968 after which only one train was allowed south of Topsham and only one platform of four platform station was required. This was demolished and replaced by a single platform station on the site of the old platform 2, which opened on 2 May 1986. The eastern side of the station was used for a new road which opened on 10 December 1981; the town's bus station and a swimming and sports centre are also built on the old station site.
Following the privatisation of British Rail the station was operated by Wessex Trains until 31 March 2006; operation of the station has now transferred to First Great Western
[edit] Description
There is a single platform – on the right when arriving from Exeter. The main station entrance leads to the bus station, but when the station is unstaffed another gate leads directly from the platform into a car park, from where access can be had to the bus station and the town centre.
It was reported in the Exmouth Journal during December 2005 that Exmouth station could be rebuilt as part of the redevelopment of the surrounding area. The paper printed rough plans of four options, all four provided for a new twin track station (as opposed to the current single track). However local opposition to the redevelopment scheme is high in particular because of the planned new supermarket on the estuary waterfront.
[edit] Services
Exmouth is served by trains on the Avocet Line from Exmouth to Exeter St Davids. Beyond St Davids they generally continue to either Paignton or Barnstaple. Connections are available at Exeter Central for Pinhoe and stations to Waterloo; passengers for other main line stations change at Exeter St Davids.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | First Great Western | Lympstone Village | ||
[edit] References
- ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1992). Branch Lines to Exmouth. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-873793-00-6.
| This station offers access to the South West Coast Path | |
|---|---|
| Distance to path | ¼ mile |
| Next station anticlockwise | Weymouth 76 miles |
| Next station clockwise | Starcross ½ mile (plus ferry) |
