Starcross railway station
Starcross railway station is a small station on the Exeter to Plymouth line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is 8 miles 44 chains (13.8 km) down the line from Exeter St Davids and 202 miles 36 chains (325.8 km) measured from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads.
Starcross  | |
|---|---|
 View from the north | |
| Location | |
| Place | Starcross, Devon |
| Local authority | Teignbridge |
| Coordinates | 50.628°N 3.448°W |
| Grid reference | SX976819 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | SCS |
| Managed by | Great Western Railway |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | F2 |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2014/15 |  |
| 2015/16 | |
| 2016/17 | |
| 2017/18 |  |
| 2018/19 | |
| History | |
| Original company | South Devon Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Opened | 1846 |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| |
It is on the shore of the River Exe estuary and is linked to a pier used by the ferry to Exmouth on the other side of the estuary. One of the South Devon Railway engine houses, which formerly powered the trains on this line, is situated alongside the station.
The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who operate all trains serving it.
History
The station was opened by the South Devon Railway on 30 May 1846.[1] It only had a single platform at this time, the second one being added in November 1848. It was provided with a train shed until 1906 when the station was rebuilt.[2]
Trains were worked by atmospheric power from 13 September 1847 until 9 September 1848. The engine house was subsequently used as a Methodist chapel; a youth club; a coal store; a museum of the atmospheric railway; and is currently the home of the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club.
The South Devon Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 February 1876, which in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948.
Public goods traffic was withdrawn from 6 September 1965 and coal traffic ceased on 4 December 1967. The station became unstaffed on 3 May 1971 and the old station building was finally demolished in 1981.[3] The footbridge, which had been erected in 1895, was replaced by the present structure in 1999.
Description
Access to the platform for trains towards Exeter is up a few steps from the main A379 road through the village; the platform for trains towards Dawlish is reached by a footbridge. This second platform also serves as the access to the pier used by the Starcross to Exmouth Ferry, which forms a link in the South West Coast Path.
There is a waiting shelter on the platform for trains to Exeter but the other side is open to the elements.
Services
Starcross is served by Great Western Railway trains in both directions on an approximately hourly basis during the day (with extras at peak periods).[4] Most trains run between Exmouth and Paignton; on Sundays the service is less frequent and most trains only run between Exeter St Davids and Paignton. The route from Exeter St Davids through Starcross to Paignton is marketed as the "Riviera Line".
A few trains run from Bristol to Plymouth and beyond, otherwise passengers travelling east or north change into main line trains at St Davids or at Newton Abbot if travelling westwards. There is one direct service in the morning to London Paddington with a return service in the evening. These services operate Mondays to Fridays only. The morning service to London runs via Bristol and the evening return runs via the Reading to Taunton line.
A ferry to Exmouth also operates on an hourly basis during the day, from Easter to October.[5]
| Preceding station | |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter St Thomas | Great Western Railway Riviera Line |
Dawlish Warren | ||
 |
||||
| Terminus | Exmouth to Starcross ferry(seasonal) |
Exmouth Marina | ||
References
- Gregory, R H (1982). The South Devon Railway. Salisbury: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-286-2.
- Kay, Peter (1991). Exeter - Newton Abbot: A Railway History. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. ISBN 1-872524-42-7.
- Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904349-55-6.
- Table 135 National Rail timetable, May 2016
- "Exmouth to Starcross Ferry". Exe to Sea Cruises. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Starcross railway station. |
- Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publication. ISBN 0-906867-90-8.
- Cooke, RA (1984). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR, Section 14: South Devon. Harwell: RA Cooke.
| This station offers access to the South West Coast Path | |
|---|---|
| Distance to path | 0 yards |
| Next station anticlockwise | Exmouth 0.5 miles (0.80 km) (plus ferry) |
| Next station clockwise | Dawlish Warren 2 miles (3.2 km) |