Gunnislake railway station

Gunnislake railway station (Cornish: Dowrgonna) serves the village of Gunnislake in Cornwall, England. There are also connecting buses from here to the town of Tavistock. However the station is located in or nearer to the villages of Drakewalls and Albaston. It is the northern terminus of the Tamar Valley Line from Plymouth.

Gunnislake

Dowrgonna
National Rail
General information
LocationGunnislake, Cornwall
England
Coordinates50°30′58″N 4°13′12″W / 50.516°N 4.220°W / 50.516; -4.220
Grid referenceSX427708
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeGSL
ClassificationDfT category F1
Key dates
1908opened
1994resited
Passengers
2018/19Increase 60,396
2019/20Increase 61,790
2020/21Decrease 21,418
2021/22Increase 52,340
2022/23Decrease 50,572
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History edit

 
A view of the station in 1972.

The 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge East Cornwall Mineral Railway was opened from the quay at Calstock to Kelly Bray on 8 May 1872. It was replaced by the present Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway route across Calstock Viaduct on 2 March 1908 which saw passenger trains introduced.

Gunnislake became a terminus on 7 November 1966, the line onwards to Callington having closed the previous Saturday. The original station was on the west side of the road bridge but in 1994 it was replaced by a new station on the east (Calstock) side which has allowed the low 12-foot (3.7 m) bridge to be demolished.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Kelly Bray
Line and station closed
  East Cornwall Mineral Railway
1872–1894
  Calstock Quay
Line closed
Chilsworthy
Line and station closed
  Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
Callington Branch 1894–1966
  Calstock

Facilities edit

The station car park and bus interchange is situated immediately behind the platform. There are no ticket buying facilities, so passengers have to buy a ticket in advance or from the guard on the train. There is a help point, and timetable and information boards, on the platform, as well as a waiting shelter.

Services edit

The journey from Plymouth typically takes 45 minutes. During the summer nine trains each way operate on weekdays, eight on Saturdays and six on Sundays.[1] Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth.

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Calstock   Great Western Railway
Tamar Valley Line
  Terminus

Community Rail edit

The railway from Plymouth to Gunnislake is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted as the "Tamar Valley Line".[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Plymouth to St Budeaux and Gunnislake (The Tamar Valley Line) Timetable" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Tamar Valley Line - Great Scenic Railways". Great Scenic Railways. Retrieved 1 September 2017.

Bibliography edit

  • Cheesman, AJ (1967). The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway. Blandford Forum: Oakwood Press.
  • Clinker, CR (1963). The Railways of Cornwall 1809 - 1963. Dawlish: David and Charles.
  • Crombleholme, Roger; Gibson, Bryan; Stickey, Douglas; Whetmath, CFD (1985) [1967]. Callington Railways. Bracknell: Forge Books. ISBN 0904662233.

External links edit