Saltash railway station

The station, looking towards Plymouth

Saltash railway station serves the town of Saltash in Cornwall, UK. It is situated on the south side of the town between the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar and Coombe Viaduct which spans a small tributary of the same river. The station is currently operated by First Great Western.

The platform nearest the town is served by trains to Plymouth; both platforms have step-free access.

History

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."

A goods shed was opened early in 1863 and the station was rebuilt in 1880.

To counter competition from electric trams, the Great Western Railway opened several small station in Plymouth and began to operate an intensive service of local trains between Saltash, Plymouth and Plympton in July 1904. The services were vastly reduced after the Tamar road bridge opened in 1961.

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889.The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in turn privatised in the 1990s. The station is now unstaffed but it is hoped to restore the buildings as a visitor centre for the Royal Albert Bridge.

References

*The records of the Cornwall Railway can be consulted at The National Archives at Kew.
West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Railway Special Edition, 1859.
The Great Western Railway in East Cornwall, Alan Bennett, Runpast Publishing, Cheltenham 1990, ISBN 1870754115

External links

*British Railway Stations - Saltash
*Save Saltash Railway Station campaign
*Saltash Rail Users Group