Barnstaple railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Barnstaple


locale = Barnstaple
borough = North Devon, Devon
latitude = 51.074
longitude = -4.063
code = BNP
manager = First Great Western
lowusage0203 = 176,682
lowusage0405 = 194,474
lowusage0506 = 210,846
lowusage0607 = 238,082
platforms = 1
original = North Devon Railway
pregroup = London and South Western Railway
postgroup = Southern Railway
years = 1854
events = Opened
years1 = 1874
events = Renamed 'Barnstaple Junction'
years2 = 1970
events = Reverted to 'Barnstaple'

Barnstaple railway station is the terminus of a long branch line, known as the Tarka Line, convert|39|mi|km|0 north west of Exeter St Davids, in Devon.

The single platform is on the east (right) of trains arriving from Exeter. There is level access to the station car park. The centre of Barnstaple is reached by crossing the Long Bridge over the River Taw convert|330|yd|m from the station.

A footpath from the station leads onto the cycleway along the abandoned railway line to Bideford which forms part of the South West Coast Path.

The station is operated by First Great Western.

History

A railway for goods traffic was operated from Fremington Quay, opening in August 1848. On 1 August 1854 the North Devon Railway opened from Barnstaple to Crediton. Trains were extended via Fremington to Bideford on 2 November 1855. This route was eventually extended to loop back to Okehampton via Torrington and Halwill Junction [Nicholas, John, "The North Devon Line", Oxford Publishing Company 1992, ISBN 0-860934-61-6] .

The station became Barnstaple Junction on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened the Ilfracombe branch line. The line crossed the river on a large bridge to a station at Barnstaple Quay which in turn was replaced by Barnstaple Town on an adjacent site in 1892 when the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway was opened. This station is now a smart shopping centre.On 1 June 1887 a loop line was laid to connect the station with the Devon and Somerset Railway, later taken over by the Great Western Railway, which had opened its own Barnstaple station at Victoria Road as the terminus of the line from Taunton on 1 November 1873.

The North Devon Railway was amalgamated into the London and South Western Railway on 1 January 1865, this railway passing to the Southern Railway in 1923 which was in turn nationalised into British Railways in 1948.

The Junction station was extended in 1874 for the Ilfracombe services and again in 1924.The first services to be withdrawn were the passenger trains to Bideford on 2 October 1965. Passenger services had been transferred from Victoria Road in January 1960 and the line to Taunton closed on 3 October 1966. Victoria Road remained open for goods traffic, accessed via the loop line from Barnstaple Junction, until 5 March 1970, when it closed entirely. The line to Ilfracombe was closed later that year, on 5 October, and so the station became plain Barnstaple once more.

was reduced to just one track. A new booking office was opened on 10 November 1981 but goods trains beyond on the Fremington line were withdrawn on 31 August 1982 leaving the station as a terminus.

In 2006 the bridges that carried Sticklepath Hill (the A3125) across the former Bideford and Ilfracombe lines were demolished to make way for a road junction for the Barnstaple Western Bypass, which opened in May 2007. The roundabout here has been built on a raised platform in order to allow for the reopening of the line to Bideford should this be proved viable in the future. Work from the bypass has also included better bus access to the station - a large number of Barnstaple town services, as well as services to Bideford, Ilfracombe and South Molton now call at the station - and a larger car park.

Recently (2008) a cafe has opened up in one of the 'closed' areas of the station building, which is now accessible from both the platform and the ticket office. This has replaced the 'burger van' that is visible in the photograph.

In 2008, it was announced that First Great Western were going to increase the number of trains to Barnstaple, giving an almost hourly service along the line to Exeter. As yet, the direct trains to places further afield to Exeter and Exmouth, such as a FGW service to Paddington, or CrossCountry services to the north of the country which were proposed when Firstgroup bidded for the 'Greater Western' franchise, which included the Barnstaple branch, have not materialised!

ervices

Barnstaple is served by typically eleven trains each weekday and six on Sundays [cite web |title = National Rail Timetable 136 (Winter 2007)|url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/Dec07/timetables/Table136.pdf|format=PDF] . Most services run to Exmouth, passing through Exeter St Davids railway station where connections with main line services are available.
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Community railway

The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Tarka Line" name.

Three pubs at Barnstaple are included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail.

References

Swcp
topath=convert|50|yd|m
anti-nextstation=Newquay convert|123|mi|km
clck-nextstation=Minehead convert|69|mi|km