The Tarka Line
The Tarka Line is a branch line in Devon that runs up from Exeter St. Davids station to Barnstable station.
I went to Barnstaple in the rush hour in a packed three car train, consisting of a Class 150 and a Class 153 train working together, asw a three-car unit.
The lady next to me, said she lived in Bideford, so she had a drive from Barnstaple.
Coming back down, the train was almost empty, so I took a pit stop at Yeoford station in a local pub called the Mare and Foal, before catching the next train back to Exeter. That train was a refurbished Class 150 train, that I wrote about in What Train Is This?
These pictures show Yeoford station to give a flavour of the line.
The Link To The Dartmoor Railway
This Google Map shows the section of the Tarka Line North from Yeoford station, which is in the South East corner.
At the village of Penstone, the Dartmoor Railway breaks off to the West to go to Okehampton station.
Under Future in the Wikipedia entry for Yeoford station, this is said.
The Dartmoor Railway plan to reopen the disused platform at the station in order to create an interchange with the Tarka Line (and thus the national network). Through running from Yeoford to Okehampton was intended to commence in 2009 but this was delayed pending the finalising of transfer arrangements with Network Rail. Accordingly, the “Sunday Rover” service run by Great Western Railway again operated on Sundays throughout the summer of 2009, although not calling here. Though the GWR summer trains have continued to operate since (running again each summer from 2013-16), agreement over the use of Yeoford as an interchange has still not been reached and it is unclear as to when (or if) this will be possible.
If this does happen, it could be the first step in opening up a second East-West route across Devon.
This page on the Dartmoor Railway web site is entitled GWR Sunday service to Okehampton and gives details of the GWR Summer Sunday service.
Reopening the old LSWR route across Devon will be driven by the following.
- New housing developments in the area.
- Tourism
- Creating employment.
- Bringing quarried materials to construction distribution depots and sites by rail.
- Creating a second route to Cornwall in case of disruption at Dawlish.
Murphy’s Law will of course apply and once the route is open, there will be no more disruption at Dawlish.
If the route is built, it will allow local trains to do a circular route from Exeter calling at the following stations in large towns.
- Crediton
- Okehampton
- Tavistock
- Plymouth
- Newton Abbott
The route would give connections to branches to Axminster, Barnstaple, Exmouth, Gunnislake, Paignton and Tiverton.
Onward To Bideford
The Wikipedia entry for Bideford station says this.
Recently, the station was included on the ATOC Connecting Communities report, that recommends closed lines and stations that should have a railway station. The report suggests the reopening of the Barnstaple – Bideford railway line.
This Google Map shows the centre of the town of Bideford.
The old station was located at the site of the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre at the Eastern end of the Old Bideford Bridge.
So could the railway line between Barnstaple and Bideford be reopened?
This Google Map shows the other end of the line at Barnstaple.
The old railway line is now used as the South West Coastal Path.
I think with traditional technology, it will be unlikely that the railway is rebuilt, as walkers and others will rightly object to noisy diesel trains or electrification of any kind, disturbing the countryside.
But as I wrote in No-Frills Mini Trains Offer Route To Reopening Lines That Beeching Shut, engineers won’t give up in providing solutions for difficult to serve places.
I believe that within ten years, a silent battery-powered train, will be ghosting its way along a single track railway between Barstaple and Bideford, that is shared with walkers and cyclists.
Remember engineering is the science of the possible, whereas politics is all impossible dreams.
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