Representing users of the Barnstaple to Exeter rail line C Representing users of the Barnstaple to Exeter rail line. It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. As for the TVER, the end of Railway Mania had left it without funding and the Act of 1846 had left the decision on its gauge to the Railway Commission, who in 1848 announced it would be in broad gauge. Please call our Customer Services Centre on 03457 000 125 (07:00-22:00 every day). The Tarka Line, also known as the North Devon Line,[1] is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages. Collisions are prevented on these sections by requiring the train crew to be in possession of a physical token released from an electrically operated apparatus at a station under a system known as no signaller token remote working. [6]. The NDR was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865, and while the E&CR remained nominally independent, the majority of its shares were owned by the LSWR and the B&ER. How to visit by train. [citation needed], The majority of passengers on the Tarka Line travel to or from Barnstaple – about three times the number of all the other stations north of Exeter. Barnstaple railway station is the northern terminus of the Tarka Line and serves the town of Barnstaple, Devon.It is 211 miles 25 chains (340.1 km) down-line from London Waterloo via Exeter St Davids.It is managed by Great Western Railway, which also operates the train service. Barnstaple is the main railway station in North Devon and the final stop for passengers travelling the Tarka Line, with its soul-soothing views of the Devon countryside. The deadlock was broken in 1851 by William Chapman, chairman of the LSWR and the E&CR. Would highly recommend the train service purely because of him. Stop off to explore the historic market town of Crediton and rural Eggesford, where the first state forest was planted in 1919. The section south of Crediton became part of the LSWR in 1876. In modern times, however, the now solo station has been reduced to a single-track service, with trains running hourly back and forth to Exeter St. David's. We help customers across Europe make more than 172,000 smarter journeys every day. Subject to availability. Current Tarka Line Timetable FROM 14 SEPTEMBER 2020 TO 12 DECEMBER 2020. Find out more about travelling Europe by train with an Interrail pass. Fares Train times The Tarka Line is an ideal and picturesque way to visit Barnstaple, capital of North Devon or to reach the great cathedral city of Exeter. Barnstaple is the main railway station in North Devon and the final stop for passengers travelling the Tarka Line, with its soul-soothing views of the Devon countryside. Parts of the line are single track, meaning that trains travelling in opposite directions must sometimes wait for each other. [citation needed]. The railway broadly follows the route of the A377 road, and north of Lapford, the Tarka Line is intertwined with the River Taw.[3]. Meanwhile, a proposal from business interests in Barnstaple was put forward in 1845 to build a new line connecting their town to the B&ER at Exeter. [5] In September 2020, Class 166 units also began operating on the line on weekends. Barnstaple railway station is the northern terminus of the Tarka Line and serves the town of Barnstaple, Devon. Excludes coach. Find live information for the next trains departing and arriving at the station below. Passenger services on the line are operated by Great Western Railway using Class 150 or Class 158 diesel multiple units. In 1844, the Exeter and Crediton Railway (E&CR) was formed and a proposal was put forward for a new line to connect Crediton to the B&ER. The trail originally covered 16 pubs, and the number has risen and fallen over the years, but in 2020 is 11 pubs. 10 stamps collected in the Rail Ale Trail leaflet entitle the participant to claim special Tarka Line Rail Trail souvenir tour shirt. Download our mobile app for real-time train information, tickets and live departure information. However, these proposals were rejected by the Railway Commission under Lord Dalhousie, the so-called "Five Kings", who wished to defer the decision on linking Barnstaple to the national railway network in order to appraise an alternative proposal by the B&ER to construct a line that would run between Barnstaple and their station at Tiverton. Portsmouth Arms is the quietest station in Devon. Barnstaple Station. Save 61% on average when you buy in advance. The Ilfracombe-Barnstaple line was opened in 1874 by the London and South Western Railway, ran between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon. On summer Sundays before the company ceased trading, the Dartmoor Railway ran alongside the south-eastern Tarka Line between Exeter and Yeoford. Replacement buses will now run between Barnstaple and Exeter St Davids (instead of Crediton) between Monday 30 March and Saturday 4 April. The Tarka Line is named after the otter in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter which is set in the area. The Tarka Line rail ale trail was launched in 2002, the first of several such schemes which encourages rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. The station dates back to 1848 and its warm brickwork is an apt introduction to this quiet and quaint waterside town. Read our guide to find out more about the types available. Want to check the latest departures and arrivals into Barnstaple station? The NDR opened in 1854 with stations at Yeoford, Copplestone, Morchard Road, Lapford, Eggesford, South Molton Road, Portsmouth Arms, Umberleigh and Barnstaple, as well as a siding at "Chappletown". The Tarka Line leaves Exeter St Davids to the north, and then turns to the west, running through Newton St Cyres, Crediton and Yeoford, and then remainder of the line runs north-west through Copplestone, Morchard Road, Lapford, Eggesford, Kings Nympton, Umberleigh, Chapelton and Barnstaple. A passing loop and second platform were brought into use in 1876 and extended in 1910 and again in 1937. Authority was obtained to build this line by an Act of 1831, but construction never started and the powers lapsed. Simply click the below tips to find out more. Heritage lovers should buy Advance train tickets to Barnstaple to benefit from cheap train fares. Barnstaple is at the end of the Tarka Line, which is named after the iconic otter from the book by Henry Williamson, who lived in North Devon and set the book in its rivers. The GWR party failed to submit their plans in line with the standing orders, and so Parliament rejected them, authorising the Crediton route despite the recommendations of Dalhousie's commission and the preference of the Lord Lieutenant. Update: Due to the coronavirus, we have changed our train/bus operations. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking or visiting country pubs. A ticket machine can be found directly outside this entrance. The only steam railway in the UK where on every journey, passengers travel in Victorian railway carriages designed in the 1890's These unique historic carriages cannot be … The first trains on what would become the Tarka Line started running in 1851 on the Exeter and Crediton Railway (E&CR) between Crediton and Exeter, with access to St Davids provided by an agreement with the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER). Learn more about peak and off-peak fares and what they mean to your journey. Until 2019 on Sundays during the summer months a service operated (on behalf of Devon County Council) between Exeter Central and Okehampton. Need information about seating? In the Golden Age of Steam, Barnstaple had two stations and was considered the transport hub of the South West's north coast. However, business interests in Crediton became interested in a railway again after allies of the Great Western Railway (GWR), the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER), reached Exeter in 1844, and the GWR-allied South Devon Railway started extending that line to Plymouth. In the same year, the LSWR party purchased a majority stake in the E&CR and then leased the E&CR line to the TVER. Barnstaple station has one main entrance that leads into the waiting room with baby-changing facilities and a vending machine, and then straight on to the only platform. Wessex Trains covered Class 150 2-car DMU number 150241 in coloured pictures promoting the line and named The Tarka Belle. Meanwhile, the Commission also told the LSWR that they would not be permitted to construct a line linking the Cowley Bridge to Exeter, leaving the E&CR completely isolated. He agreed to convert one of the two tracks on the Crediton line to broad gauge and lease the line to B&ER; in exchange, the B&ER agreed to construct a junction allowing trains to run from Crediton to Exeter St Davids, and Cowley Bridge station was never opened.