Plymouth railway station

For the station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, see Plymouth station (MBTA).

Plymouth
Platforms and track layout from the east, with the main station building behind.
General information
Location	Plymouth England
Coordinates	50°22′40″N4°08′35″W / 50.3778°N 4.1430°W / 50.3778; -4.1430
Grid reference	SX476553
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	6 (numbered 3-8)
Other information
Station code	PLY
Classification	DfT category C1
History
Original company	GWR and LSWR Joint
Post-grouping	GWR and SR Joint
Key dates
1877	Opened
1938	Rebuilding started
1958	North Road name dropped
1962	Rebuilding completed
Passengers
2019/20	2.372 million
Interchange	86,443

v t e Railways in the Plymouth area
Legend
Reading–Plymouth line Plympton (GWR) South Devon and Tavistock Railway Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway  A38  Laira Junction Laira TMD Laira   LSWR Turnchapel Branch and GWR Plymouth to Yealmpton Branch   Cattewater and Sutton Harbour Plymouth Friary (LSWR) Mutley (Joint) Plymouth North Road (Joint) Plymouth Millbay (GWR) Devonport Albert Road (GWR) Devonport Kings Road (LSWR) Dockyard (GWR) Albert Road Halt (LSWR) Ford (LSWR) Camels Head Halt (LSWR) Weston Mill Halt (LSWR) Keyham (GWR) St Budeaux Ferry Road (GWR) St Budeaux Victoria Road (LSWR) LSWR Tamar Valley Line to Gunnislake and Exeter Royal Albert Bridge over River Tamar GWR Cornish Main Line to Penzance
GWR Great Western Railway LSWR London and South Western Railway

Platform layout

Track layout in 2009

The station has its entrance on the south side which gives access to the city centre. The west side of the station concourse is the ticket office, while on the north and east sides are various retail outlets selling food and newspapers. ^[18] The buffet on Platforms 7 and 8 is no longer in operation however there is a small café just beyond the ticket barriers serving hot drinks and hot food. The platform area is separated from the concourse by the ticket gates.

The platforms that can be reached on the level from the concourse are numbered 1 to 4. Platforms 1 and 2 are east-facing bay platforms, not used by passenger trains. Platform 3 is a west-facing bay platform that is mainly used by local services to Gunnislake and sometimes Penzance. ^{[11] [19]}

The remaining platforms are reached by a subway immediately inside the ticket gates; there are lifts to the subway on each of the groups of platforms. ^[7] They are all through tracks and are signalled so that trains can arrive and depart in either direction. ^[19] Platform 4 is used by most through services towards Penzance, but also for some trains towards London. Platforms 5 and 6 are either side of the middle island platform and are used by a variety of services, including Great Western Railway local trains and long distance CrossCountry services. Platforms 7 and 8 are either side of a second island platform; there is a small coffee shop facing the subway steps on this platform. Most Great Western Railway services to London Paddington depart from platform 7, but both these platforms are used by a variety of services from Cornwall towards London and the North as well as some local services. ^[11]

Beyond Platform 8 are two tracks, known as Park Sidings, which are used for stabling trains between services, but most trains are nowadays kept on the platform tracks between arrival and departure. There are some more sidings adjacent to platform 1. There is an extra track between platforms 4 and 5 for through goods trains and shunting manoeuvres. ^[19]

Brunel Plaza

The railway station and surrounding area is undergoing a redevelopment in 2020-2024. Intercity Place, an 11 floor tower next to the station, is being rebuilt for use by the University of Plymouth and the existing three-story car park is being replaced by a new six-story car park on the site of the current Rail Incident Safety Centre building which will be relocated to a new building to the west of the station. ^[20] The old car park will then be demolished and turned into potential sites for more University buildings including a new accommodation block ^[21] and a hotel. The construction works began in late 2020, ^[22] the University building is due to open in 2023, the car park in 2024, and all other works are due to be completed by 2027. ^[23]

Services

Great Western Railway services to Penzance on platforms 5 and 4 respectively

Plymouth is served by Great Western Railway trains on the main line from London Paddington, some of which terminate at Plymouth but many continue over the Cornish Main Line to Penzance or, in the summer, Newquay. Services between London Paddington to Plymouth are at least hourly throughout the day. A number of named trains operate on this route including the Cornish Riviera , a fast London to Penzance daytime service, and the overnight Night Riviera service on the same route.

Most CrossCountry trains from Scotland and the North of England via Bristol terminate at Plymouth, although 2 continue to Penzance, and, on summer weekends, Newquay. ^[24] From Plymouth, most services terminate at Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street, however, 1 train per day operates towards both Glasgow Central and Aberdeen respectively. ^[25]

Local services are provided by Great Western Railway along the Cornish Main Line, often extended eastwards to and from Newton Abbot, Exeter St Davids and beyond. Services are also provided on the Tamar Valley Line to Gunnislake. ^[8]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Devonport		Great Western Railway Tamar Valley Line		Terminus
		Great Western Railway Exeter to Plymouth Line		Ivybridge
Liskeard or terminus		CrossCountry Cornwall and Plymouth to the North		Totnes

Passenger volume

Plymouth has the third largest number of passengers starting or finishing their journey in Devon, after Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids. Comparing the year from April 2008 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 97%. ^[26] However, recent years have seen little further growth.

	2002–03	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Entries	721,187	767,066	822,804	929,105	1,018,941	1,344,641	1,139,359	1,200,541	1,298,373	1,289,658	1,222,732	1,247,624	1,243,781	1,254,726	1,224,547	1,208,188
Exits	710,487	751,945	806,207	916,808	1,007,910	1,344,640	1,139,359	1,200,541	1,298,373	1,289,658	1,222,732	1,247,624	1,243,781	1,254,726	1,224,547	1,208,188
Interchanges	unknown	55,154	68,832	77,728	61,934	133,496	67,194	73,574	104,598	unknown	88,488	93,423	95,082	100,531	90,299	79,912
Total	1,431,674	1,585,165	1,697,843	1,923,686	2,088,785	2,822,777	2,345,912	2,474,656	2,701,344	2,579,316	2,533,952	2,588,671	2,582,644	2,609,983	2,539,393	2,496,288

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April. ^[26]

Signalling

The signal box built in 1960

The station was originally controlled from two signal boxes. "North Road East" was on the north side of the line to the east of the station, while "North Road West" was on the south side of the line at the west end of the station where it could control the junction of the original lines to Millbay with the new Cornwall Loop Line to Devonport. The adjacent signal boxes were at Mutley to the east, Cornwall Junction on the Millbay line, and Devonport Junction at the far end of the Cornwall Loop. ^[27]

Both of the North Road signal boxes were closed in November 1908 and replaced by new ones with the same names. The West box was now on the north side of the line and had 59 levers, while the East box needed just 48. They were each 38 feet (11.6 m) long. Mutley box closed at the same time, the next box now being at Mannamead on the other side of Mutley Tunnel, which had opened about three years earlier. ^[27]

The rebuilding work of 1938 meant more signalling alterations. On 22 January 1938, the timber West box was lifted up and moved to a new position clear of the proposed works, being brought back into use on 27 January 1938. At the other end of the station the East box was closed and a new 79 feet (24.1 m) structure built, again on the north side of the line, which was brought into use on 25 June 1939. ^[27]

Both signal boxes were closed on 26 November 1960 when a new "Plymouth Panel Signal Box" was opened on the west end of the new Platform 1; the West box was subsequently demolished. Multiple-aspect signals have controlled movements of trains throughout the Plymouth area since the opening of this new signal box in 1960. The adjacent boxes were initially at Laira Junction in the east and Keyham in the west. ^[27] The area of control was extended westwards on 2 July 1973 to meet the signal box at St Germans, which closed in 1998 ^[28] so the next signal box westwards is now at Liskeard railway station. Towards the end of 1973 several more signal boxes were closed eastwards from Plymouth, which meant that Plymouth controlled trains until they reached the outer signal of Totnes Signal Box. Totnes box closed on 9 November 1987 ^[7] when a new panel signal box at Exeter was opened. The Panel Signal Box at the station controls all trains between (but not at) Totnes in Devon, and Liskeard in Cornwall.

See also

• Railways in Plymouth

References

1. Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 9B. ISBN   978-1-9996271-0-2.
2. "National Rail Timetable 135 (Summer 2014)" (PDF). Network Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
3. Perry, George, ed. (1970). 'The Book of the Great Western. London: Sunday Times Magazine. ISBN   0-7230-0018-2.
4. Gregory, R H (1982). The South Devon Railway. Salisbury: Oakwood Press. ISBN   0-85361-286-2.
5. MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway.
6. Smith, Martin (1995). An Illustrated History of Plymouth's Railways. Caernarfon: Irwell Press. ISBN   1-871608-41-4.
7. Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN   978-1-904349-55-6.
8. "National Rail Timetable 139 (Summer 2014)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
9. Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 62. ISBN   9780860936855.
10. Mosley, Brian. "A Plan for Plymouth". Encyclopedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
11. "Plymouth". Live Departures and Arrivals. National Rail. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
12. Eve, Carl (10 April 2014). "Ten-year plan for redevelopment of Plymouth Rail Station is now underway, says council". Evening Herald. Plymouth. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
13. "Network Rail Report 2009 (Report from Network Rail, 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 5 August 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
14. "18 injured in 'low impact' Plymouth train crash". BBC News. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
15. Lewis-Herald, J (3 April 2016). "Plymouth train crash: Investigation launched after 18 left injured by 'low-speed' collision". The Herald. Local World. Retrieved 4 April 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
16. "Collision at Plymouth station". Rail Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
17. "Report 02/2017 Collision at Plymouth station 3 April 2016" (PDF). Rail Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
18. "Plymouth". Station Facilities. National Rail. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
19. Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford-on-Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN   0-9549866-1-X.
20. "TCF Outline Business Case Plymouth Station: Station Forecourt Interchange" (PDF). Plymouth City Council. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
21. Clark, Daniel (16 June 2022). "Plymouth railway station is set to get a new approach". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
22. Oldfield, Ed; Telford, William (11 August 2020). "Work begins on £80m Plymouth railway station redevelopment". Business Live. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
23. Telford, William (14 July 2021). "Timeline revealed for £80m Plymouth Railway Station redevelopment". Business Live. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
24. "National Rail Timetable 51 (Summer 2014)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
25. "CrossCountry Timetable December 2023-June 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2024.
26. "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
27. Crozier, Larry (2000). Mechanical Signalling in Plymouth. Wallasey: Signalling Record Society. ISBN   1-873228-18-X.
28. Pryer, GA (2000). Signal Box Diagrams of the Great Western & Southern Railways, Volume 14: GWR Lines Plymouth and East Cornwall. Weymouth: GA Pryer. ISBN   0-9532460-5-1.

Further reading

• Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publication. ISBN   0-906867-90-8.
• Cooke, R A (1979). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR: Section 12, Plymouth. Harwell: R A Cooke.
• Leitch, Russell (2002). Plymouth's Railways in the 1930s. Peterborough: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN   0-901115-91-6.
• Mosley, Brian. "Plymouth Station". Encyclopedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.

External links

• BBC archive films: Plymouth to Dartmoor train
• Video footage of Plymouth station

This station offers access to the South West Coast Path
Distance to path	1 mile (1.6 km)
Next station anticlockwise	Kingswear 65 miles (105 km)
Next station clockwise	Looe 21 miles (34 km)