Feniton railway station
Feniton  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Feniton |
| Local authority | East Devon |
| Coordinates | 50°47′10″N 3°17′06″W / 50.786°N 3.285°WCoordinates: 50°47′10″N 3°17′06″W / 50.786°N 3.285°W |
| Grid reference | SY094993 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | FNT |
| Managed by | South West Trains |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
|
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2002/03 | 49,632 |
| 2004/05 |
 57,541 |
| 2005/06 |
 55,341 |
| 2006/07 |
59,872 |
| 2007/08 |
61,653 |
| 2008/09 |
66,644 |
| 2009/10 |
60,048 |
| 2010/11 |
64,490 |
| 2011/12 |
68,520 |
| History | |
| Original company | London and South Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| 19 July 1860 | Opened as Feniton |
| 1 July 1861 | Renamed Ottery and Sidmouth Road |
| February 1868 | Renamed Feniton for Ottery St Mary |
| April 1868 | Renamed Ottery Road |
| 6 July 1874 | Renamed Sidmouth Junction |
| 6 March 1967 | Closed |
| 5 May 1971 | Reopened as Feniton |
| 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 Feniton from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Feniton railway station serves the village of Feniton in Devon, England. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1860 but is now operated by South West Trains which provides services on the London Waterloo to Exeter route.
It has been known by several different names, but from 1874 to 1967 it was Sidmouth Junction while it was the junction for branch lines to Sidmouth and through Budleigh Salterton to Exmouth.
History
The station was designed by William Tite and was opened by the LSWR on 19 July 1860, along with its Exeter Extension from Yeovil Junction to Exeter Queen Street. It was named "Feniton" after the nearest village, but less than a year later it was renamed (on 1 July 1861) as "Ottery and Sidmouth Road". In February 1868 this was changed again to "Feniton for Ottery St Mary". On 6 July 1874 a branch line to Sidmouth was opened and the station changed its name once more to become "Sidmouth Junction", a name that it managed to retain for more than 90 years.[1]
On 1 May 1897 a new line to Budleigh Salterton was opened and this was extended on 1 June 1903 to Exmouth. Although the junction for this line was at Tipton St John, Sidmouth Junction was the de facto junction as it was situated on the London main line. A third platform was provided to accommodate branch line trains; this was a terminal bay at the Yeovil end of the westbound platform. It was on this platform that the main two-storey building was situated.[1]
A goods yard and goods shed was provided adjacent to the bay platform. This was closed on 6 September 1965. The following year saw the withdrawal of local stopping trains on the main line, but Sidmouth Junction remained open until 6 March 1967 when passenger services were withdrawn from the branch lines.[1]
The station was however reopened on 5 May 1971 as a result of local campaigning by the residents of the expanding village, assuming the original "Feniton" name. A ticket office was erected in 1974 as the original building had been demolished while the station was closed. The platform was rebuilt and lengthened in 1992[1] but is still shorter than many of the trains that call.
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honiton | London and South Western Railway Salisbury to Exeter |
Whimple | ||
| Ottery St Mary | London and South Western Railway Sidmouth/Budleigh Salterton branches |
Terminus | ||
Signalling
The station was built next to the level crossing of the Ottery Road which was operated by the station staff. A signal box was provided in 1875 at the east end of the station on the north side of the line, opposite goods yard. Because it was too far from the level crossing a small signal box was provided at that end of the station to control the level crossing. The main signal box was closed on 21 May 1967 but the level crossing box was retained. The line through the station reduced to just a single track on 11 June 1967. In 1974 the level crossing gates were replaced by lifting barriers; the level crossing box was abolished at the same time and the barriers are operated from a panel within the station building.[2]
Description
The platform is on the south side of the line, east of the level crossing of Ottery Road. It is only long enough for 3 car trains[3] so only the doors on the front unit are opened if the train is longer. The disused eastbound platform still stands but the goods yard site is now occupied by houses.[1]
Services
South West Trains operate daily between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo station, generally calling at Feniton every two hours.[4]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honiton | South West Trains West of England Main Line |
Whimple or Exeter Central | ||
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904349-55-6.
- ↑ Phillips, Derek; Pryer, George (1997). The Salisbury to Exeter Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-525-6.
- ↑ Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford-on-Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
- ↑ "Table 160: London to Salsibury and Exeter" (PDF). Electronic National Rail Timetable. Network Rail. December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
External links
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