Barnstaple Railway Station
Barnstaple railway station is the terminus of a long branch line, known as the Tarka Line 63 km (39 miles) north west of Exeter St Davids, in Devon.
The single platform is on the east (right) of trains arriving from Exeter. There is level access to the station car park. The centre of Barnstaple is reached by crossing the Long Bridge over the River Taw 300 m from the station.
A footpath from the station leads onto the cycleway along the abandoned railway line to Bideford which forms part of the South West Coast Path.
The station is operated by First Great Western.
History
Barnstaple Junction station in July 1971, looking towards Exeter.A railway for goods traffic was operated from Fremington Quay, opening in August 1848. On 1 August 1854 the North Devon Railway opened from Barnstaple to Crediton. Trains were extended via Fremington to Bideford on 2 November 1855. This route was eventually extended to loop back to Okehampton via Torrington and Halwill Junction.
The station became Barnstaple Junction on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened the Ilfracombe branch line. The line crossed the river on a large bridge to a station at Barnstaple Quay which in turn was replaced by Barnstaple Town on an adjacent site in 1892 when the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway was opened. This station is now a smart shopping centre.
Barnstaple Junction station in June 1970, looking towards Exeter with part of the freight yard in view.On 1 June 1887 a loop line was laid to connect the station with the Great Western Railway line from Taunton which had opened its own station in Victoria Road on 1 November 1873.
The North Devon Railway was amalgamated into the London and South Western Railway on 1 January 1865, this railway passing to the Southern Railway in 1923 which was in turn nationalised into British Railways in 1948.
Barnstaple Junction station on 20 June 1970, looking towards Bideford and Ilfracombe.The Junction station was extended in 1874 for the Ilfracombe services and again in 1924. The first services to be withdrawn were the passenger trains to Bideford on 2 October 1965. The passenger services from Victoria Road were ceased on 3 October 1966 and that line was closed entirely from 5 March 1970. The line to Ilfracombe was closed later that year, on 5 October 1970, and so the station became plain Barnstaple once more.
On 21 May 1971 the track was simplified and the line to Umberleigh was reduced to just one track. A new booking office was opened on 10 November 1981 but goods trains beyond on the Fremington line were withdrawn on 31 August 1982 leaving the station as a terminus.
In 2006 the bridges that carried Sticklepath Hill (the A3125) across the former Bideford and Ilfracombe lines were demolished to make way for a road junction for the Barnstaple Western Bypass, which opened in May 2007. The roundabout here has been built on a raised platform in order to allow for the reopening of the line to Bideford should this be proved viable in the future.
Services
Barnstaple is served by typically eleven trains each weekday and six on Sundays. Most services run to Exmouth, passing through Exeter St Davids railway station where connections with main line services are available.
Community railway
The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Tarka Line" name.
Three pubs at Barnstaple are included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail.
This content is taken from Wikipedia and is re-used according to the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
