Lapford railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Lapford

---

caption = As it was in 1913
locale = Lapford
borough = Mid Devon, Devon
latitude = 50.8575
longitude = -3.8108
code = LAP
manager = First Great Western
platforms = 1
lowusage0203 = 4,912
lowusage0405 = 2,104
lowusage0506 = 1,658
lowusage0607 = 2,208
original = North Devon Railway
pregroup = London and South Western Railway
postgroup = Southern Railway
years = Opened
events = 1854

Lapford railway station is a rural station on the Tarka Line in Devon, England, serving the village of Lapford. It is served by trains between Barnstaple and Exeter.

History

The station was opened by the North Devon Railway on 1 August 1854. [cite book | last = Nicholas | first = John | title = The North Devon Line | publisher = Oxford Publishing Company | date = 1992 | location = Sparkford | id = ISBN 0-86093-461-6 ] In its outset, it only had the one platform, and goods sidings including the Ambrosia factory. After a time, a second (northbound) platform was added, but due to space constraints was sited on the other side of the A377 road bridge. A small booking office was located on the platform, but was only occupied during the few minutes prior to a train's arrival.

A bridge over a river to the south of the station shows that many structures were built for dual lines, but between Copplestone and Umberleigh the line has always been single track and, alas, these structures have never been used.

ervices

Typically four or five trains in each direction on the Barnstaple to Exmouth service are scheduled to stop at Lapford on request – this means that passengers alighting here must tell the conductor that they wish to do so, and those waiting to join must signal clearly to the driver as the train approaches. Trains connect with main line services at Exeter St Davids.
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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.

A pub at Lapford has been included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail.

References