Saltash railway station

Saltash railway station serves the town of Saltash in Cornwall, England. It is on the south side of the town between the Royal Albert Bridge which crosses the River Tamar and the Coombe Viaduct which spans a small tributary of the same river. Trains are operated by Great Western Railway. The station is 250 miles 8 chains (402.5 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads.

Saltash
Location
PlaceSaltash
Local authorityCornwall
Coordinates50.407°N 4.209°W / 50.407; -4.209
Grid referenceSX431587
Operations
Station codeSTS
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryF2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 68,526
2015/16 67,174
2016/17 78,198
2017/18 82,398
2018/19 83,574
History
Original companyCornwall Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Opened1859
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Saltash from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The platform nearest the town is served by trains to Plymouth and the north, and the other platform closest to the River Tamar is served by trains to Penzance. The line singles at the east end of the station passing over the Royal Albert Bridge.

History
A plaque on the westbound platform commemorates the 125th anniversary opening of the Royal Albert Bridge on 2 May 1859

The station opened with the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859. It was described at the time as being "at the head of that town. It consists of an arrival and departure station, both being stone buildings, and possessing all requisite offices for the accommodation of the traffic. New and convenient approaches are likely to be made to that station by the corporation and the owners of adjoining property, which will prove a great public benefit."[1] A goods shed was opened early in 1863 and the station was rebuilt in 1880-1881.[2][3]

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889.[4] To counter competition from electric trams, the Great Western Railway opened several small stations in Plymouth and began to operate an intensive service of local trains between Saltash, Plymouth and Plympton in July 1904.[5] The services were vastly reduced after the Tamar road bridge opened in 1961.[2]

The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in turn privatised in the 1990s. It had been hoped to restore the buildings as a visitor centre for the Royal Albert Bridge, but they have now been sold to a property developer.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed and has no ticket provision, so all tickets must be purchased in advance or from the conductor on the train. Waiting shelters, bicycle racks and bench seats are provided on each side, while train running information is offered via customer help points, timetable posters and a public telephone. Step-free access is available to both platforms.[6]

Services
A Great Western Railway Class 150 calls with a Penzance to Plymouth local service.

Saltash is served by about half of the Great Western Railway trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth (approximately one call every two hours each way), including a few that run to or from London Paddington station.[7] A Sunday service is also provided, but on an irregular frequency with sizeable gaps between trains.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
St Budeaux Ferry Road   Great Western Railway
Cornish Main Line		   St Germans

References
  1. West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Railway Special Edition, 1859.
  2. Bennett, Alan (1990). The Great Western Railway in East Cornwall. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870754-11-5.
  3. "Saltash". The Cornishman (148). 12 May 1881. p. 5.
  4. MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway.
  5. Mosley, Brian (11 October 2008). "GWR Saltash Rail Motor Service". Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  6. Saltash Station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  7. Table 51 & 135 National Rail timetable, May 2017


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