Starcross railway station

Starcross National Rail

View from the north
Location
Place Starcross, Devon
Local authority Teignbridge
Coordinates 50°37′40″N 3°26′52″W / 50.62781°N 3.44768°W / 50.62781; -3.44768Coordinates: 50°37′40″N 3°26′52″W / 50.62781°N 3.44768°W / 50.62781; -3.44768
Grid reference SX976819
Operations
Station code SCS
Managed by Great Western Railway
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03   58,384
2004/05 Increase 69,175
2005/06 Increase 76,771
2006/07 Increase 84,968
2007/08 Decrease 83,701
2008/09 Increase 85,262
2009/10 Decrease 83,066
2010/11 Increase 91,166
2011/12 Increase 101,030
2012/13 Increase 107,060
2013/14 Decrease 100,178
2014/15 Increase 101,004
History
Original company South Devon Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
Opened 1846
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Starcross from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Starcross railway station is a small station on the Exeter to Plymouth line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is on the shore of the River Exe estuary and is linked to a pier used by the ferry to Exmouth on the other side of the estuary. One of the South Devon Railway engine houses, which formerly powered the trains on this line, is situated alongside the station. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who operate all trains serving it.

History

The station was opened by the South Devon Railway on 30 May 1846.[1] It only had a single platform at this time, the second one being added in November 1848. It was provided with a train shed until 1906 when the station was rebuilt.[2]

Trains were worked by atmospheric power from 13 September 1847 until 9 September 1848. The engine house was subsequently used as a Methodist chapel; a youth club; a coal store; a museum of the atmospheric railway; and is currently the home of the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club.

The South Devon Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 February 1876, which in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948.

Public goods traffic was withdrawn from 6 September 1965 and coal traffic ceased on 4 December 1967. The station became unstaffed on 3 May 1971 and the old station building was finally demolished in 1981.[3] The footbridge, which had been erected in 1895, was replaced by the present structure in 1999.

Description

Access to the platform for trains towards Exeter is up a few steps from the main A379 road through the village; the platform for trains towards Dawlish is reached by a footbridge. This second platform also serves as the access to the pier used by the Starcross to Exmouth Ferry, which forms a link in the South West Coast Path.

There is a waiting shelter on the platform for trains to Exeter but the other side is open to the elements.

Services

Great Western Railway Class 153s arriving from Exeter

Starcross is served by Great Western Railway trains in both directions on an approximately hourly basis during the day. Most trains run between Exmouth and Paignton; on Sundays the service is less frequent and most trains only run between Exeter St Davids and Paignton.[4] The route from Exeter St Davids through Starcross to Paignton is marketed as the "Riviera Line".

A few trains run from Bristol or from London Paddington station, otherwise passengers travelling east or north change into main line trains at St Davids, or at Newton Abbot if travelling westwards.

A ferry to Exmouth also operates on an hourly basis during the day, from Easter to October.[5]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Exeter St Thomas   Great Western Railway
Riviera Line		   Dawlish Warren
  Ferry services  
Terminus   Exmouth to Starcross Ferry   Exmouth Marina

References

  1. ↑ Gregory, R H (1982). The South Devon Railway. Salisbury: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-286-2.
  2. ↑ Kay, Peter (1991). Exeter - Newton Abbot: A Railway History. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. ISBN 1-872524-42-7.
  3. ↑ Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904349-55-6.
  4. ↑ "National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2007)" (PDF). Network Rail.
  5. ↑ "Exmouth to Starcross Ferry". Exe to Sea Cruises. Retrieved June 7, 2007.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Starcross railway station.
This station offers access to the South West Coast Path
Distance to path 0 yards
Next station anticlockwise Exmouth 0.5 miles (0.80 km) (plus ferry)
Next station clockwise Dawlish Warren 2 miles (3.2 km)
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