Tiverton Parkway railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Tiverton Parkway

---

locale = Sampford Peverell
borough = Mid Devon, Devon
latitude = 50.91700
longitude = -3.36012
manager = First Great Western
code = TVP
platforms = 2
usage0203 = 0.185
usage0405 = 0.203
usage0506 = 0.232
usage0607 = 0.270
original = British Rail
years = Opened
events = 12 May 1986

Tiverton Parkway railway station is on the London to Penzance Line, convert|157.75|mi|km from London Paddington station;cite web |title = National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2007)|publisher= Network Rail|url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/Dec07/timetables/Table135.pdf|format=PDF] it is operated by First Great Western. The "Parkway" name signifies that the station is a distance from Tiverton town itself: it is actually located near the village of Sampford Peverell in Devon, England, convert|7|mi|km to the east of Tiverton itself, and close to the junction of the M5 motorway with the A361 North Devon link road.

History

The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened on 1 May 1844 but it ran south of Tiverton, so a station known as "Tiverton Road" was opened to serve the town. This station was renamed "Tiverton Junction" on 12 June 1848 when the Tiverton branch line was opened to a station in the town itself. [cite book| last = MacDermot| first = E T| title = History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921| publisher = Great Western Railway| date = 1931| location = London] By the 1980s the branch had closed and the Junction station only saw a couple of trains in each direction each day, while cars on the M5 sped past just a few yards from the platforms, so a decision was taken to relocate the station a short distance to the east, close to the motorway junction where traffic from Barnstaple and Ilfracombe from the A361 joined.

Tiverton Junction closed on 11 May 1986cite web|title=List of dates from 1 January 1985 to 20 January 2006 of last passenger trains at closed BR (or Network Rail stations since privatisation)|url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2006/feb/closuredatesformerbrstations/listofclosuredatestopassenge2682|accessdate=2008-08-09|publisher=Department for Transport|year=2006|work=Department for Transport Website: Freedom of Information Act responses, February 2006] and the new station was opened the following day by David Mitchell MP, the Minister of Transport at the time. [cite book| last = Oakley| first = Mike| title = Devon Railway Stations| publisher = The Dovecote Press| date = 2007| location = Wimbourne| id = ISBN 1-904349-55-6] It was built on the site of the former Sampford Peverell railway station that had closed on 5 October 1964.

An additional car park for the station was opened in late 2007 as the original car park was too small when FGW increased the services to the station. The additional car park is situated alongside the A361 road and requires a short walk to the station, while the original is alongside the platform.

Description

The main entrance and a large car park are on the west side of the station, where a single-storey brick building at platform level incorporates a ticket office and a shop selling newspapers, drinks and snacks. This is the platform for trains towards London Paddington, Bristol and the north.

Access to the platform for trains towards Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance is over a ramped footbridge. The buildings on this platform are two large metal and glass waiting shelters. The cycleway crosses the line on this footbridge and allows access on foot or cycle from the east side.

Services

The main line services through Tiverton are provided by two operators, First Great Western and CrossCountry. The former operates inter-city services on the London to Penzance Line and the latter from Scotland and the north of England via Birmingham New Street and Bristol Temple Meads. [cite web |title = National Rail Timetable 51 (Winter 2007)|publisher= Network Rail|url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/Dec07/timetables/Table51.pdf|format=PDF] First Great Western also operate a few services to and from London via Bristol.

Transport connections

The station is linked to both Tiverton and to Cullompton by hourly bus services that call at a bus stop in the station car park.

In addition to being situated close to the junction of the M5 motorway and the A361 North Devon link road, the National Cycle Network Route 3 (Bristol to Land’s End) passes through the station and provides a safe and quiet route to local towns.

The proximity of the station to the motorway - and the relative inaccessibility of Exeter St Davids railway station in the city of Exeter - means that it is often used as the 'coach exchange' when the line between Exeter and Plymouth is closed and rail passengers are detrained onto coaches for the remainder of the journey.

References

See also

* List of Parkway railway stations