Digby and Sowton railway station

Digby and Sowton railway station
Digby and Sowton National Rail
Digby and Sowton
Location
Place Digby
Local authority Exeter
Coordinates 50°42′51″N 3°28′25″W / 50.71406°N 3.47354°W / 50.71406; -3.47354Coordinates: 50°42′51″N 3°28′25″W / 50.71406°N 3.47354°W / 50.71406; -3.47354
Operations
Station code DIG
Managed by First Great Western
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 * 120,505
2004/05 * 134,804
2005/06 * 155,822
2006/07 * 201,904
2007/08 * 247,452
2008/09 * 277,514
2009/10 * 271,316
History
Original company British Rail
23 May 1995 Opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Digby and Sowton from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
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Digby and Sowton railway station is the most recently opened railway station on the Avocet Line in Devon, opening 23 May 1995. The station is unstaffed, however a computer ticket machine is installed selling tickets for immediate travel. As a result of this, the station is part of a new Penalty Fare Zone, where passengers could be charged a £20 penalty fare if a ticket is not purchased, prior to joining the train.

Contents

History

A small station known as Clyst St Mary and Digby Halt was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 June 1908 to serve Clyst St Mary and Digby Psychiatric Hospital. The 120 feet (37m) long platforms were built from old railway sleepers. It closed by the new British Railways on 27 September 1948.[1]

The present Digby and Sowton station was funded by Devon County Council and Tesco Stores Limited; construction began on 9 November 1994 and it opened on 23 May 1995.[2] It is situated about 380 yards (350 m) south of the site of the old station to serve new housing on the site of the now closed psychiatric hospital, and also a light industrial estate at nearby Sowton.

The station was operated by Wessex Trains, until 31 March 2006 when First Great Western took over the franchise.

The station has been criticised for its location being a compromise between serving the industrial estate of Sowton and the retail development at Digby. By doing so, it has ended up as not being particularly close to either, resulting in a substantial walk to either location, which lie in opposite directions. It is also on a regular basis a victim of vandalism because it is not visible from nearby roads. Extensive CCTV has been installed in an attempt to tackle this problem.

Description

The station serves the Sowton Industrial Estate via a long foot/cycle path that runs along the railway line and the housing estates around the former Digby Hospital through a step free access bridge, with divided sections for cycles and pedestrians.

The station is also a short walk to/from the Sandy Park rugby ground, the home of the Exeter Chiefs and the closest station to Exeter International Airport, but there is no suitable public transport access to it.

Passenger volume

There has been considerable growth in passenger usage of Digby & Sowton. During the twelve months ended March 2003 120,000 people used the station, but this had doubled within five years .[3]

  2002-03 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Entries 60,818 68,208 78,811 101,063 125,299
Exits 59,687 66,596 77,011 100,891 122,153
Total 120,505 134,804 155,822 201,954 247,452

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

All trains on the Avocet Line from Exmouth to Exeter St Davids call at Digby and Sowton. Beyond St Davids they generally continue to either Paignton or Barnstaple. Connections are available at Exeter Central for Pinhoe and stations to Waterloo; passengers for other main line stations change at Exeter St Davids.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Topsham   First Great Western
Avocet Line
  Polsloe Bridge

References

  1. ^ Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904-34955-6. 
  2. ^ Maggs, Colin G. (1997) [1980]. The Exeter and Exmouth Railway. Locomotion Papers. Usk: Oakwood Press. p. 41. ISBN 0 85361 430 X. LP203. 
  3. ^ "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 



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