Starcross railway station explained

Starcross
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Starcross, Teignbridge, Devon,
Country:England
Coordinates:50.628°N -3.448°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Manager:Great Western Railway
Platforms:2
Code:SCS
Classification:DfT category F2
Original:South Devon Railway
Pregroup:Great Western Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Years:Opened
Events:30 May 1846
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Starcross is a small station on the Exeter to Plymouth line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is 8chain44chain down the line from and 202chain36chain from, via .[1] The station is managed by Great Western Railway, which operates all trains serving it. One of the South Devon Railway engine houses, which formerly powered the trains on this line, is situated alongside the station.

History

The South Devon Railway opened the station on 30 May 1846.[2] 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.[3]

The station became unstaffed on 3 May 1971 and the old station building was finally demolished in 1981.[4] The footbridge, which had been erected in 1895, was replaced by the present structure in 1999.

Platform layout and facilities

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.

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

The platform for trains to Paignton 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. It operates on an hourly basis during the day, from Easter to October.[5]

Services

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

A few trains run from Bristol to and beyond, otherwise passengers travelling east or north change into main line trains at St Davids or at if travelling westwards.

There is one direct service in the morning to London Paddington with a return service in the evening. These services operate Mondays to Fridays only. The morning service to London runs via Bristol and the evening return runs via the Reading to Taunton line.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Padgett, David . Munsey . Myles . Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales . 6th . June 2018 . 1989 . Trackmaps . Frome . 978-1-9996271-0-2 . map 8B .
  2. Book: Gregory, R H. The South Devon Railway. Oakwood Press. 1982. Salisbury. 0-85361-286-2.
  3. Book: Kay, Peter. Exeter - Newton Abbot: A Railway History. Platform 5 Publishing. 1991. Sheffield. 1-872524-42-7.
  4. Book: Oakley, Mike. Devon Railway Stations. The Dovecote Press. 2007. Wimbourne. 978-1-904349-55-6 .
  5. Web site: Exmouth to Starcross Ferry . 7 June 2007 . Exe to Sea Cruises.