Falmouth Docks railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Falmouth Docks | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Falmouth | ||
| Local authority | Carrick, Cornwall | ||
| Operations | |||
| Station code | FAL | ||
| Managed by | First Great Western | ||
| Platforms in use | 1 | ||
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |||
| Annual Rail Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 * | 38,434 | ||
| 2005/06 * | 47,316 | ||
| History | |||
| 24 August 1863 7 December 1970 5 May 1975 |
Opened Closed Reopened |
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| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Falmouth Docks from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. | |||
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Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.
It has level access from the car park.
The station is at the south end of the town on the hillside above the docks and near Pendennis Castle and Gyllyngvase Beach.
[edit] History
The original Cornwall Railway Act had provided for a terminus at Greenbank, but by the time the line was built the packet ships no longer called there, but the new docks had been constructed to which the railway was diverted. The grand Falmouth Hotel was opened in 1865 just outside the station. The railway, docks and hotel companies shared several directors, the hotel company even leased the refreshment rooms on the station.
The granite station was the terminus of the line, which opened on 24 August 1863. It was 200 feet long and 90 feet wide, the three tracks and two platforms being covered by a roof. As no other stations were provided in the town at the time it was known just as Falmouth station. A large goods shed and a 100 feet long engine shed were both provided just outside the station. A siding ran down to the docks from the end of the platform.
The need to provide accommodation for all the staff were met by building twenty Railway Cottages in four terraces of five dwellings. These are situated just below the station by the entrance to the docks.
The station was opened with the Cornwall Railway Falmouth extension on 24 August 1863. The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in turn privatised in the 1990s.
The station was closed on 7 December 1970 when a new station was opened nearer to the town, but it was subsequently reopened as Falmouth Docks on 5 May 1975 so that passengers now have a choice of three stations in the town.
[edit] References
- The records of the Cornwall Railway can be consulted at The National Archives at Kew.
- The Great Western Railway in Mid Cornwall, Alan Bennett, Kingfisher Railway Publications, Southampton 1988. ISBN 0-946184-53-4
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Falmouth Docks railway station from National Rail
- British Railway Stations - Falmouth Docks
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falmouth Town | First Great Western Maritime Line |
Terminus | ||
| This station offers access to the South West Coast Path | |
|---|---|
| Distance to path | 100 yards |
| Next station anticlockwise | Falmouth Town ½ mile |
| Next station clockwise | Penzance 60 miles |
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