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Starcross railway station is a small station on the Exeter to Plymouth line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is 8 miles 44 chains (13.8 km) down the line from Exeter St Davids and 202 miles 36 chains (325.8 km) measured from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who operate all trains serving it.

Starcross
View from the north
General information
Location	Starcross, Devon, Teignbridge England
Coordinates	50.628°N 3.448°W / 50.628; -3.448
Grid reference	SX976819
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	SCS
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	South Devon Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
Opened	1846
Passengers
2016/17	142,850
2017/18	125,898
2018/19	116,170
2019/20	111,744
2020/21	38,644
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

One of the South Devon Railway engine houses, which formerly powered the trains on this line, is situated alongside the station.

History

The station was opened by the South Devon Railway on 30 May 1846.[1] It only had a single platform at this time, the second one being added in November 1848. It was provided with a train shed until 1906 when the station was rebuilt.[2]

Trains were worked by atmospheric power from 13 September 1847 until 9 September 1848. The engine house was subsequently used as a Methodist chapel; a youth club; a coal store; a museum of the atmospheric railway; and is currently the home of the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club.

The South Devon Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 February 1876, which in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948.

Public goods traffic was withdrawn from 6 September 1965 and coal traffic ceased on 4 December 1967. The station became unstaffed on 3 May 1971 and the old station building was finally demolished in 1981.[3] The footbridge, which had been erected in 1895, was replaced by the present structure in 1999.

Stationmasters

Platform layout and facilities

Access to the platform for trains towards Exeter is up a few steps from the main A379 road through the village; the platform for trains towards Dawlish is reached by a footbridge.

There is a waiting shelter on the platform for trains to Exeter but the other side is open to the elements.

Services

Starcross is served by Great Western Railway trains in both directions on an approximately hourly basis during the day (with extras at peak periods).[10] Most trains run between Exmouth and Paignton; on Sundays the service is less frequent and most trains only run between Exeter St Davids and Paignton. The route from Exeter St Davids through Starcross to Paignton is marketed as the "Riviera Line".

A few trains run from Bristol to Plymouth and beyond, otherwise passengers travelling east or north change into main line trains at St Davids or at Newton Abbot if travelling westwards.

There is one direct service in the morning to London Paddington with a return service in the evening. These services operate Mondays to Fridays only. The morning service to London runs via Bristol and the evening return runs via the Reading to Taunton line.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Exeter St Thomas		Great Western Railway Riviera Line		Dawlish Warren
	Ferry services
Terminus		Exmouth to Starcross ferry(seasonal)		Exmouth Marina

The second platform (for trains to Paignton) also serves as the access to the pier used by the Starcross to Exmouth Ferry, which forms a link in the South West Coast Path. It operates on an hourly basis during the day, from Easter to October.[11]

References

Further reading

• Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publication. ISBN 0-906867-90-8.
• Cooke, RA (1984). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR, Section 14: South Devon. Harwell: RA Cooke.

This station offers access to the South West Coast Path
Distance to path	0 yards
Next station anticlockwise	Exmouth 0.5 miles (0.80 km) (plus ferry)
Next station clockwise	Dawlish Warren 2 miles (3.2 km)

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