Avocet Line

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Avocet Line

Legend miles (from Quail Railway Track Diagrams - Volume 3)  Tarka Line to Barnstaple   Great Western Main Line to London Paddington  Cowley Bridge Junction Red Cow Crossing 0.00 Exeter St Davids 0.10 Exeter St Davids Junction  Riviera Line to Paignton also Penzance  0.39 St Davids Tunnel (184 yards) 0.78 Exeter Central 1.25 St James Park 1.45 Blackboy Tunnel (262 yards) 1.82 Exmouth Junction  West of England Main Line to London Waterloo  2.25 Polsloe Bridge Clyst St Mary and Digby Halt 4.09 Digby and Sowton 4.41 A379 5.19 M5 6.09 Topsham Crossing 6.16 Topsham River Clyst (114 yards) 7.68 Exton 8.12 Lympstone Commando 9.19 Lympstone Village River Exe  Closed branch to Sidmouth Junction  11.24 Exmouth

The Avocet Line is the railway line from Exeter to Exmouth, UK. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary for most of its route, giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the Pied Avocet, which live in the estuary.

The towns and cities served are:

• Exeter
• Digby
• Sowton
• Topsham
• Exton
• Lympstone
• Exmouth

The route follows the West of England Main Line in the suburbs of Exeter before diverging to the south.

At Exmouth, there is a ferry service to Starcross on the opposite shore of the River Exe.

For many years the passenger services on the line have been provided by Wessex Trains, and since 2006 by First Great Western, using Class 150 or Class 153 diesel multiple units either singly or in multiple. However, from December 2007 First Great Western introduced Class 142 "Pacers" to release other DMUs for refurbishment.

The section in Exeter is shared with South West Trains West of England services to London Waterloo as far as Exmouth Junction (between St James Park and Polsloe Bridge). The daytime frequency is a train every 30 mins, although trains only stop once an hour at Polsloe Bridge, St James Park, Exton and Lympstone Commando. The latter two stations are request stops.

v • d • e Railway lines in South-West England and the "Great Western" zone : InterCity lines: Cross Country Route • Great Western Main Line Main lines: Bristol to Taunton Line • Cherwell Valley Line • Cornish Main Line • Gloucester-Newport Line • Reading to Plymouth Line • South Wales Main Line • Wessex Main Line • West of England Main Line • Reading to Basingstoke Line Commuter lines: Exeter-Exmouth "Avocet" Line • Greenford Branch Line • Severn Beach Line • Slough-Windsor & Eton Line Rural lines: Exeter-Barnstaple "Tarka" Line • Golden Valley Line • Heart of Wessex Line • Henley Branch Line • Looe Valley Line • Marlow Branch Line • Par-Newquay "Atlantic Coast" Line • Exeter-Paignton "Riviera" Line • St Ives Bay Line • Tamar Valley Line • Truro-Falmouth "Maritime" Line