Ivybridge railway station

Ivybridge National Rail

Looking westwards
Location
Place Ivybridge
Local authority South Hams
Coordinates 50°23′37″N 3°54′18″W / 50.3935°N 3.90513°WCoordinates: 50°23′37″N 3°54′18″W / 50.3935°N 3.90513°W
Grid reference SX647565
Operations
Station code IVY
Managed by First Great Western
Number of platforms 2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03 30,786
2004/05 Increase 40,613
2005/06 Increase 48,440
2006/07 Increase 59,108
2007/08 Increase 59,920
2008/09 Increase 66,684
2009/10 Decrease 56,494
2010/11 Increase 67,104
2011/12 Increase 86,292
2012/13 Decrease 79,442
2013/14 Decrease 66,516
History
Original company British Rail
First station opened 1848
First station closed 1965
Current station opened 1994
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ivybridge from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Ivybridge railway station is situated on the Exeter to Plymouth line[1] and serves the town of Ivybridge in Devon, England. The station re-opened in 1994 to the east of the original station, which was in use from 1848 until 1965. The new station is located in the civil parish of Ugborough, and is operated by First Great Western.

History

First station

The first station at Ivybridge was located at 50°23′41″N 3°55′28″W / 50.39470°N 3.92440°W. It was not complete when the South Devon Railway was opened,[2] but was brought into use just six weeks later on 15 June 1848. The building was situated on the north side of the track, immediately to the west of Ivybridge Viaduct.[3] Passenger trains were withdrawn in 1959 but goods traffic continued until 1965.[4]

Current station

A plaque commemorating the opening, mounted on a granite boulder near the entrance

A new station costing £380,000 was opened east of the viaduct on 15 July 1994. To fit in the narrow site, the platforms are staggered, with the eastbound platform nearer to Plymouth than the westbound. It was marketed as a Park and Ride station with a large 100-space car park to entice car drivers off the A38 road into Plymouth, but the level of train service has never offered the convenient and frequent service that is normally associated with such facilities.[4]

An early timetable[5] shows just 2 of the 10 trains to Plymouth railway station arriving there before 09:00, and the last return train leaving at 21:11. The afternoon service was gradually reduced until by September 1999[6] only 7 trains ran to Plymouth and 9 return. From 20 May 2001[7] a through service from London Waterloo station was introduced by South West Trains, which resulted in 11 trains each way. When First Great Western proposed their new Winter 2006 service there were many complaints as it would have seen a drastic reduction in trains calling at Ivybridge. After considering the position, a total of 9 trains were scheduled by the two companies but with just one train arriving in Plymouth before 09:00.[8]

Services

A Plymouth to Newton Abbot service

Since 14 December 2008 three High Speed Train services are operated by First Great Western in each direction have given a direct link to/from London Paddington station in addition to established local services.[9]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Totnes   First Great Western
Exeter to Plymouth Line		   Plymouth


References

  1. ↑ "National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2007)" (PDF). Network Rail.
  2. ↑ MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway.
  3. ↑ Cooke, RA (1984). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR, Section 14: South Devon. Harwell: RA Cooke.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904349-55-6.
  5. ↑ Train Times: Exeter, Torquay, Paignton, Plymouth, 28 May to 23 September 1995, Regional Railways South Wales & West (1995)
  6. ↑ Timetable B: Exeter to Torbay & Plymouth, 26 Sept '99 – 27 May '00, Wales and West Passenger Trains Ltd (1999)
  7. ↑ Summer Train Times: Exeter to Torbay and Plymouth, 20 May 2001 to 29 September 2001, Wales & West Passenger Trains Ltd (2001)
  8. ↑ Train Times: Book B, 10 December 2006 to 19 May 2007, First Great Western (2006)
  9. ↑ "West Coast dominates timetable changes". Modern Railways (Ian Allan) 65 (723): 46–50. 2008. ISSN 0026-8358.

External links

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