General information | |
---|---|
Location | Woodbury, East Devon England |
Coordinates | 50°39′44″N3°26′28″W / 50.6623°N 3.441°W |
Grid reference | SX982857 |
Managed by | Great Western Railway |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | LYC |
Classification | DfT category F2 |
History | |
Original company | British Rail |
Key dates | |
3 May 1976 | Opened |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 64,294 |
2019/20 | 69,846 |
2020/21 | 19,050 |
2021/22 | 76,134 |
2022/23 | 83,160 |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Lympstone Commando railway station is a railway station situated on the Avocet Line,a branch line from Exeter to Exmouth in Devon,England.
Whilst signs on the station platform state that passengers alighting must have business with the Lympstone Commando Camp,this is no longer true and members of the general public can access the station via a public footpath.
The station was opened on 3 May 1976 by British Rail. This caused some confusion with the older Lympstone railway station,but this has since been renamed "Lympstone Village". [1] It was built using cast platform sections recovered from Weston Milton railway station where the track had been singled and so one platform was no longer needed.
For many years troop trains were a feature of its operation about three times each year. The trains were operated with a locomotive at each end as there is no way to run around a train south of Topsham;the leading locomotive on arrival was dragged back to Exeter Central where it was detached. The trains were considerably longer than the platform and loading the passengers was a slow operation as they had to make their way through the train from the centre coaches. A similar operation today is difficult to arrange as the regular timetabled passenger service is much more intensive than in the 1980s.
During November 2020,the platform was extended by 25 metres (82 ft) to make it 89 m (292 ft) long. [2]
The station is situated on the banks of the estuary of the River Exe. It consists of a single platform,which is on the left of trains arriving from Exeter.
On 28 May 2010,a section of the Exe Estuary Trail opened between Lympstone village and Exton. [3] This runs between the platform and the entrance to the camp [4] so the public can now access the station,although the sign on the platform still remains stating "persons alighting here must have business with the camp". The Ministry of Defence have accepted that the station is the property of Network Rail and as such they cannot prohibit members of the public from using the station [5] –however,persons wishing to take photographs from the platform should inform the guard room at the Commando Training Centre beforehand. [5]
About half the trains on the Avocet Line between Exmouth and Exeter St Davids call at Lympstone Commando,except on Saturdays where all services call here. It is a request stop,meaning that passengers alighting must tell the conductor that they wish to do so,and those waiting to join must signal clearly to the driver as the train approaches.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Exton | Great Western Railway Avocet Line | Lympstone Village |
The River Exe in England rises at Exe Head,near the village of Simonsbath,on Exmoor in Somerset,5.2 miles (8.4 km) from the Bristol Channel coast,but flows more or less directly due south,so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 miles (96 km) and reaches the sea at a substantial ria,the Exe Estuary,on the south coast of Devon. Historically,its lowest bridging point was the Old Exe Bridge in Exeter,the largest settlement on the river,but there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the city centre.
Exmouth is a port town,civil parish and seaside resort,sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Exeter.
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is the principal military training centre for the Royal Marines. It is situated near the villages of Lympstone and Exton,between the city of Exeter,and the town of Exmouth in Devon,England.
The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon,England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway,and was historically known as the Exmouth branch railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary for about half of its route,from just outside Topsham to Exmouth,giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the pied avocet,which lives in the estuary.
The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter,towns Dawlish and Teignmouth,and the English Riviera resorts of Torbay in Devon,England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. It is part of the Network Rail Route 12.
Exeter St Davids railway station is the principal railway station serving the city of Exeter in Devon,England. It is 193 miles 72 chains from the zero point at London Paddington,on the line through Bristol which continues to Plymouth and Penzance. It is also served by an alternative route to London Waterloo,via Salisbury,and branch lines to Exmouth,Barnstaple and Okehampton. It is currently managed by Great Western Railway and is served by trains operated by Great Western Railway,South Western Railway and CrossCountry.
Exeter Central railway station is the most central of the stations in the city of Exeter,Devon,United Kingdom. It is 171 miles 30 chains (275.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station is smaller than Exeter St Davids on the west side of the city. Great Western Railway manages the station and operates most services,with South Western Railway providing the rest.
St James Park railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter,Devon,England. It is 170 miles 72 chains (275.0 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station is adjacent to the Exeter City football ground. Great Western Railway manage the station and operate the train services.
Polsloe Bridge railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter,Devon,England. The station serves the Polsloe,Mount Pleasant,Hamlin and Whipton areas of the city.
Digby and Sowton railway station is on the Avocet Line in Devon,England.
Topsham railway station is the railway station serving the town of Topsham in the English county of Devon. It is the passing place for the otherwise single-track branch line from Exmouth Junction to Exmouth. Both the loop and adjacent level crossing are remotely worked from the signal box at Exmouth Junction.
Exton railway station is a railway station serving the village of Exton in Devon,England. It is situated on the Avocet Line which runs between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth.
Lympstone Village railway station serves the village of Lympstone in Devon,England.
Lympstone is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 1,754. There is a harbour on the estuary of the River Exe,lying at the outlet of Wotton Brook between cliffs of red breccia. The promontory to the north of the harbour is topped by a flat pasture,Cliff Field,that is managed by the National Trust and used for football matches and other local events.
Exmouth railway station serves the town of Exmouth in Devon,England and is 11.25 miles (18 km) south of Exeter St Davids,the terminus of the Avocet Line. The station is managed by Great Western Railway,who operate all trains serving it.
Woodbury is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon,7 miles (11 km) south east of the city of Exeter. At the 2011 Census the village had a population of 1,605,and the parish had a population of 3,466. It lies on the east bank of the Exe Estuary,has borders –clockwise from the estuary –with the district of Exeter and then the parishes of Clyst St George,Clyst St Mary,Farringdon,Colaton Raleigh,Bicton and Lympstone. Woodbury is part of the electoral ward of Woodbury and Lympstone whose population at the 2011 Census was 5,260.
Paignton railway station serves the town and seaside resort of Paignton in Devon,England. It is 222 miles 12 chains (358 km) from London Paddington,via Box. It opened in 1859 and is now the terminus of Riviera Line services from Exeter and heritage services on the Dartmouth Steam Railway from Kingswear.
The South Devon Railway sea wall is situated on the south coast of Devon in England. A footpath runs alongside the railway between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish,then another footpath forms a continuation to the sea front promenade at Teignmouth. Both of these form part of the South West Coast Path.
The Exeter–Plymouth line,also called the South Devon Main Line,is a central part of the trunk railway line between London Paddington and Penzance in the southern United Kingdom. It is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line and runs from Exeter St Davids to Plymouth,from where it continues as the Cornish Main Line. It was one of the principal routes of the Great Western Railway which in 1948 became part of the Western Region of British Railways and are now part of the Network Rail system.
Newcourt railway station is the newest railway station on the Avocet Line,serving the Newcourt area of Exeter,United Kingdom. The station is sited between Digby and Sowton and Topsham and was opened to passenger traffic on 4 June 2015. The station is managed and operated by Great Western Railway.