Truro railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Truro


manager = First Great Western
locale = Truro
borough = Carrick, Cornwall
latitude = 50.26400
longitude = -5.06432
code = TRU
original = Cornwall Railway and
West Cornwall Railway
pregroup = Great Western Railway
postgroup = Great Western Railway
years = Opened
events = 1859
years1 = Line to Falmouth
events1 = 1863
platforms = 3
usage0203 = 0.639
usage0405 = 0.715
usage0506 = 0.773
usage0607 = 0.856

Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western.

Truro is one of the stations served by the Night Riviera sleeper train.

History

The station opened with the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859 [cite book | last = Bennett | first = Alan | title = The Great Western Railway in Mid Cornwall | publisher = Kingfisher Railway Publications | date = 1988 | location = Southampton | id = ISBN 0-94618-453-4] when it was very different from today. A train shed roofed over the space between the two platforms and the level crossing was much busier and at the other end of the building, where the branch platform is today. A contemporary report tells us that "the passenger station here is a handsome stone building, one hundred and thirty feet long, with large projecting roof; and containing in the centre of the building a spacious booking office, having separate entrances for first, second and third class passengers. On each side of this are comfortable first and second class waiting rooms, parcels' room, superintendent's office, and the other conveniences of a first class station. Inside the station is the passenger platform, one hundred and sixty-one feet long by fourteen feet wide, and beyond this three lines of broad gauge rails. Then the arrival platform, which is of the same length of that on the opposite side, and twenty feet wide. The whole of the space occupied by these rails and platforms are covered by a double roof, of the respective spans of fifty-seven and forty-one feet, with iron tie and suspension rods on a novel principle. The light, airy and forceful appearance of these roofs has excited the admiration of every person who has viewed them." ["West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser", Railway Special Edition, 1859]

A stone goods shed was built in front of the station and an engine shed beyond the passenger platforms: "one hundred feet long, and forty-five feet wide, with double line of rails, and accommodation for six engines. Outside of the latter building are a smithery and workmens' shops, in which any casual repairs that may be required, can be executed. This building being erected on 'made ground' is constructed of timber, as being lighter than stone."

The West Cornwall Railway shared the station, which was managed by joint committee of the two railways. This line came from Penzance through the tunnel but was only standard gauge until 1 March 1867 when it had a third rail laid to allow both broad gauge and standard gauge trains (the rail had actually been laid the previous year but was only used for goods trains for a while). In the meantime the Cornwall Railway had extended its rails to Falmouth. The West Cornwall Railway kept its station at Newham Quay to handle goods traffic to the town (Truro did not become a city until 1877) and waterfront, the branch crossing the Falmouth line on the level just beyond Highertown Tunnel at Penwithers Junction.

Two of Brunel's timber viaducts carried the line high above the town. Immediately outside the station was Carvedras Viaduct, 86 feet above St George's Road and 969 feet long. After passing the site of the castle, the line then passed over Truro Viaduct, which with 20 stone piers stretched to 1,329 feet and was the longest viaduct in Cornwall, although it was only 92 feet high. They were replaced with stone viaducts in 1902 and 1904 respectively, although the original piers still stand. [cite book | last = Binding | first = John| title = Brunel's Cornish Viaducts | publisher = Atlantic Transport Publishing/Historical Model Railway Society | date = 1993 | location = Penryn| id = ISBN 0-906899-56-7]

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889.

The goods shed was rebuilt quite early on to accommodate the heavy traffic handled. The passenger station was rebuilt in 1897 when the roof was removed, new buildings provided, a new engine shed built nearer the tunnel, and the level crossing removed to the east end. It was at this time that a third footbridge was added across the station in place of the level crossing, access to this being from the road rather than the platforms.

From 2 January 1905 the station was also use as the terminus of the branch to Perranporth and Newquay, although the actual junction was at Chacewater station.

The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was privatised in the 1990s.

ignalling

Signal boxes had been built to control the complex layout at Truro by 1880. [cite book | last = Cooke | first = R A | title = Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR: Section 10, West Cornwall| publisher = R A Cooke | date = 1977 | location = Harwell] These were replaced by a new Truro West signal box in 1897 and a new Truro East in 1899. These were both Great Western Railway Type 7A signal boxes. The West box, which was situated on the north side of the line near the entrance to the engine shed, was closed on 7 November 1971 when the East box, situated on the same side of the line just east of the level crossing, was renamed as just "Truro". [cite book | last = Pryer | first = GA| title = Signal Box Diagrams of the Great Western & Southern Railways, Volume 16: GWR Lines in West Cornwall | publisher = GA Pryer| location = Weymouth| id = ISBN 0-9532460-5-1]

The adjacent signal boxes are at Par railway station to the east, and at Roskear Junction, Camborne, to the west. The Falmouth branch is operated under authority from tokens which are kept in interlocked machines on platform 3 and at at Falmouth Docks railway station.

Description

Approaching Truro from the east the line soars above the city on Kenwyn viaduct. It then passes near the site of an ancient castle (where cattle were once unloaded from trains for market), and then across Carvedras viaduct and a level crossing to reach the station. At the far end the line curves left into a short cutting before diving through Highertown tunnel.

The main entrance to the brick-builtstation is on the south side of the line, leading directly to the platform used by trains to Penzance. The station buffet is along this platform on the left, and the bay platform that is used for trains to Falmouth is beyond this.

The platform for trains to Plymouth and beyond can be reached by either of two footbridges, one at either end of the station, but both platforms have step-free access from the level crossing at the east end of the platform.

The long-stay car park is situated behind this eastbound platform and access is over the level crossing. The gates of the crossing have to be closed when trains are due so car drivers should not expect to be able to cross the line and park just as their train is approaching.

Passenger volume

Truro is the busiest station in Cornwall. Comparing the year from April 2006 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 34%. [cite web|title =Station Usage|work =Rail Statistics|publisher =Office of Rail Regulation| url=http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529|accessdate = 2008-06-30] The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

ervices

References

External links

* [http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~owend/interests/rail/stnpages/truro.html British Railway Stations photogrpahs - Truro]
* [http://www.urban75.org/vista/truro.html Panoramic photgraph of Truro platform, 2003]