Saltash railway station

Saltash
Location
Place Saltash
Local authority Cornwall
Operations
Station code STS
Managed by First Great Western
Number of platforms 2
Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 * 27,197
2004/05 * 35,349
2005/06 * 32,185
2006/07 * 34,266
2007/08 * 32,062
2008/09 * 50,452
2009/10 * 49,578
History
Original company Cornwall Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
Opened 1859
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Saltash from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Saltash railway station serves the town of Saltash in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south side of the town between the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar and Coombe Viaduct which spans a small tributary of the same river. The station is currently operated by First Great Western.

The platform nearest the town is served by trains to Plymouth; both platforms have step-free access.

Contents

History

The station opened with the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859. It was described at the time as being "at the head of that town. It consists of an arrival and departure station, both being stone buildings, and possessing all requisite offices for the accommodation of the traffic. New and convenient approaches are likely to be made to that station by the corporation and the owners of adjoining property, which will prove a great public benefit."[1]

A goods shed was opened early in 1863 and the station was rebuilt in 1880.[2]

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889.[3] The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in turn privatised in the 1990s.

To counter competition from electric trams, the Great Western Railway opened several small station in Plymouth and began to operate an intensive service of local trains between Saltash, Plymouth and Plympton in July 1904.[4] The services were vastly reduced after the Tamar road bridge opened in 1961.[2]

It had been hoped to restore the buildings as a visitor centre for the Royal Albert Bridge, but they have now been sold to a property developer.

Services

Saltash is served by about half the First Great Western trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth, including a few that run to or from London Paddington station.[5]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
St Budeaux Ferry Road   First Great Western
Cornish Main Line
  St Germans

References

  1. ^ West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Railway Special Edition, 1859.
  2. ^ a b Bennett, Alan (1990). The Great Western Railway in East Cornwall. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870754-11-5. 
  3. ^ MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway. 
  4. ^ Mosley, Brian. "GWR Saltash Railmotor Service". Encyclopedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. http://www.plymouthdata.info/RAIL-GWR%20Railmotor%20Service.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  5. ^ "National Rail Timetable 135 (Summer 2008)" (PDF). Network Rail. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/May08/timetables/Table135.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-30. 

External links