Ivybridge railway station

Ivybridge
Looking westwards
Location
Place	Ivybridge
Local authority	South Hams
Coordinates
Grid reference	SX647565
Operations
Station code	IVY
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03	30,786
2004/05	40,613
2005/06	48,440
2006/07	59,108
2007/08	59,920
2008/09	66,684
2009/10	56,494
2010/11	67,104
2011/12	86,292
2012/13	79,442
2013/14	66,516
2014/15	59,374
History
Original company	British Rail
First station opened	1848
First station closed	1965
Current station opened	1994
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ivybridge from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Ivybridge railway station is situated on the Exeter to Plymouth line and serves the town of Ivybridge in Devon, England. The station re-opened in 1994 to the east of the original station, which was in use from 1848 until 1965. The new station is located in the civil parish of Ugborough, and is operated by Great Western Railway.

History

First station

Main article: Disused railway stations (Exeter to Plymouth Line)

The first station at Ivybridge was located at . It was not complete when the South Devon Railway was opened, but was brought into use just six weeks later on 15 June 1848. The building was situated on the north side of the track, immediately to the west of Ivybridge Viaduct. Passenger trains were withdrawn in 1959 but goods traffic continued until 1965.

Current station

File:Ivybridge station opening plaque.jpg

A plaque commemorating the opening, mounted on a granite boulder near the entrance

A new station costing £380,000 was opened east of the viaduct on 15 July 1994 by British Rail under the Regional Railways sector. To fit in the narrow site, the platforms are staggered, with the eastbound platform nearer to Plymouth than the westbound. It was marketed as a Park and Ride station with a large 100-space car park to entice car drivers off the A38 road into Plymouth, but the level of train service has never offered the convenient and frequent service that is normally associated with such facilities.

An early timetable shows just 2 of the 10 trains to Plymouth railway station arriving there before 09:00, and the last return train leaving at 21:11. The afternoon service was gradually reduced until by September 1999 only 7 trains ran to Plymouth and 9 return. From 20 May 2001 a through service from London Waterloo station was introduced by South West Trains, which resulted in 11 trains each way. When First Great Western proposed their new Winter 2006 service there were many complaints as it would have seen a drastic reduction in trains calling at Ivybridge. After considering the position, a total of 9 trains were scheduled by the two companies but with just one train arriving in Plymouth before 09:00.

Services

File:Ivybridge 150234.jpg

A Plymouth to Newton Abbot service

Since 14 December 2008 three High Speed Train services are operated by Great Western Railway in each direction have given a direct link to/from London Paddington station in addition to established local services.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Totnes		Great Western Railway Exeter to Plymouth Line		Plymouth

External links

• Ivybridge Rail Users Group