Penryn railway station
Encyclopedia
Penryn station is on the Maritime Line
from Truro
to Falmouth Docks
, and serves the town of Penryn, Cornwall
. The services are operated by First Great Western
.
in 1863. It originally had a passing loop but was rationalised to just a single platform when the line was being run by British Rail
.
A new 400 metres (437.4 yd) passing loop was installed in 2008, being brought into use in 2009 before the new timetable commenced on 17 May as this called for two trains to be in operation on the branch for most of the day. To pay for this work £4.67million was provided from European Union
funds, £2.5million from Cornwall Council, and £600,000 from Network Rail
. The new works were formally opened by Kevin Lavery, the Chief Executive of Cornwall Council, on 18 May 2009.
There is a single platform that offers level access from the car park. Trains towards Truro
run from left to right; trains towards Falmouth Docks
run from right to left.
When constructing the loop a novel (and unique in the UK) approach was adopted which avoided the building of a footbridge and works to the disused platform. The formerly disused northern end of the platform has been reinstated, and is now called Platform 2, and an extension has been built onto the southern end which is now called Platform 1, the middle section of the platform is now used to pass between the two. The extension and reistatement creates a platform of 238 metres (780.8 ft) in length; the southern end of the loop joins the main branch at the northern end of Platform 1. New modern shelters have been built on each platform, and the brick shelter from 1998 still exists.
The disused platform on the far side of the loop line was formerly used by trains towards Truro.
Signals are controlled from the signal box
at Truro. Axle counters allow one train to be in the section between Penwithers Junction and Penryn, and another between Penryn and Falmouth Docks. The Up and Down Branch line (the platform line) is signalled for trains in either direction; the Down Loop is only signalled for trains towards Falmouth.
Maritime Line
The Maritime Line is a railway line that runs in the valley of the River Fal from Truro to Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom.-History:...
from Truro
Truro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
to Falmouth Docks
Falmouth Docks railway station
Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, and serves the town of Penryn, Cornwall
Penryn, Cornwall
Penryn is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penryn River about one mile northwest of Falmouth...
. The services are operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
History
The station was opened by the Cornwall RailwayCornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
in 1863. It originally had a passing loop but was rationalised to just a single platform when the line was being run by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
.
A new 400 metres (437.4 yd) passing loop was installed in 2008, being brought into use in 2009 before the new timetable commenced on 17 May as this called for two trains to be in operation on the branch for most of the day. To pay for this work £4.67million was provided from European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
funds, £2.5million from Cornwall Council, and £600,000 from Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
. The new works were formally opened by Kevin Lavery, the Chief Executive of Cornwall Council, on 18 May 2009.
Description
Truro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
run from left to right; trains towards Falmouth Docks
Falmouth Docks railway station
Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.-History:...
run from right to left.
When constructing the loop a novel (and unique in the UK) approach was adopted which avoided the building of a footbridge and works to the disused platform. The formerly disused northern end of the platform has been reinstated, and is now called Platform 2, and an extension has been built onto the southern end which is now called Platform 1, the middle section of the platform is now used to pass between the two. The extension and reistatement creates a platform of 238 metres (780.8 ft) in length; the southern end of the loop joins the main branch at the northern end of Platform 1. New modern shelters have been built on each platform, and the brick shelter from 1998 still exists.
The disused platform on the far side of the loop line was formerly used by trains towards Truro.
Signalling
Truro-bound trains use the northern end of the station (Platform 2), arriving before the Falmouth-bound train, which will pass through the new loop and to the southern end of the platform (Platform 1), allowing the Truro-bound train to continue its journey north. This gives a rare situation in the United Kingdom where trains run on the right, instead of on the left as is usual in this country. Trains are scheduled to depart simultaneously for Truro and Falmouth.Signals are controlled from the signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at Truro. Axle counters allow one train to be in the section between Penwithers Junction and Penryn, and another between Penryn and Falmouth Docks. The Up and Down Branch line (the platform line) is signalled for trains in either direction; the Down Loop is only signalled for trains towards Falmouth.