Plymouth railway station
Encyclopedia : P : PL : PLY : Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, UK. It is the largest of the six railway stations in the city, and the only one served by Intercity trains. The station is situated to just to the North of the city centre, on the North Cross roundabout. Some of the former bay platforms were used for Royal Mail trains up until 2003. It is operated by First Great Western.
History
When the South Devon Railway opened its line to Plymouth on 2 April 1849., it positioned its station at Millbay, on the site now occupied by the Plymouth Pavilions. In 1876 the South Devon Railway amalgamated with the Great Western Railway.The station at North Road was opened in 1877, providing a joint facility for Great Western Railway trains and those of the London and South Western Railway which had arrived in Plymouth the previous year. The station was built of wood and the platforms were fully covered by roofs.
The station was just west of Mutley railway station, while at its west end a new junction allowed direct access to the Cornwall Railway and the London and South Western's Devonport Kings Road railway station.
It was renamed just Plymouth from 15 September 1958 following the closure of the old London and South Western station at Plymouth Friary railway station.
Additional platforms were added in a scheme executed in 1908, but further major rebuilding work started in 1938. This was delayed due to the Second World War. Rebuilding was resumed in 1956 and the new station with its large office block was formally opened by Dr Richard Beeching, the British Railways Chairman, on 26 March 1962.
The station car park was rebuilt in its current multistorey form about ten years later. The roof of the circulating area in front of the ticket office has also bee replaced due to deterioration of the 1960s concrete and additional shops were added at this time.
Further reading
- The Great Western in South Devon by Keith Beck and John Copsey, Wild Swan Publications 1990, ISBN 0906867908
- An Illustrated History of Plymouth's Railways by Martin Smith, Irwell Press 1995, ISBN1817608414
- The South Devon Railway by R H Gregory, Oakwood Press1982, ISBN0853612862
External links
- [Train times] and [station information] for Plymouth railway station from National Rail
- [Map] and [aerial photo] of Plymouth railway station from Multimap.com
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0.5em auto; text-align: center;" |- ! Preceding station ! colspan="3" | National Rail ! Following station
| 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 |
| This station offers access to the South West Coast Path. | |
|---|---|
| Distance to Coast Path | 1 mile |
| Next station anticlockwise | Kingswear 65 miles |
| Next station clockwise | Looe 21 miles |
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