Redruth railway station

Redruth station serves the town of Redruth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is situated on the Cornish Main Line between Truro and Camborne. The station is 310 miles (500 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads.

Redruth
LocationRedruth, Cornwall
England
Coordinates50.233°N 5.226°W / 50.233; -5.226
Grid referenceSW700420
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeRED
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Original companyWest Cornwall Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
Opened1852
Passengers
2015/16 0.334 million
2016/17 0.340 million
2017/18 0.338 million
2018/19 0.328 million
2019/20 0.342 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Great Western Railway manage the station and operate most of the trains, with some others provided by CrossCountry.

History

First station

Located at 50.23157°N 5.23255°W / 50.23157; -5.23255

The Hayle Railway opened a station on the west side of Redruth on 31 May 1838. The railway had been built to move goods to and from local mines and the harbours at Hayle and Portreath. A passenger service started on 26 May 1843; nearly 200 people travelled on the first train from Redruth to Hayle.[1]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Terminus   Hayle Railway   Pool

Second station
A train pulls away from the station and over the viaduct in the early 1900s

The West Cornwall Railway (WCR) was authorised by an Act of Parliament passed on 3 August 1846 to take over the Hayle Railway and extend its line westwards to Penzance and eastward to Truro. It took possession of the line on 3 November 1846 and set about rebuilding it. A viaduct was built 61 feet (19 m) above the streets of Redruth[2] and a new station was opened at the east end of this on 11 March 1852. On 25 August 1852 the line was continued through a short tunnel at the east end of Redruth station to a temporary station at Truro Highertown. It was completed to a station at Newham Wharf in Truro in 1855. The present day station at Truro was reached in 1859 but through trains over the Cornwall Railway could not start until 1867 due to the two railways being built to different gauges. The main station buildings were replaced by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in the 1930s[1] but an old wooden shelter survives on the westbound platform and the footbridge is marked as being erected in 1888.[3]

The original Hayle Railway station became a goods depot when the new WCR station opened, access to it being controlled by 'Redruth Junction' signal box which also controlled access to the goods branch line to Tresavean mine. Goods sidings were also provided on both sides of the line at the new station, with a large goods shed on the north side of the line. A new goods depot for Redruth was opened at Drump Lane, east of the tunnel, in 1912.[3]

The original 489 feet (149 m) viaduct was built in timber to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but it was replaced in 1888 by a masonry structure by P.J. Margery for the GWR.[2][4] The line had until now been just a single track with a passing loop in the station, but the new viaduct was wide enough for two tracks once the 7 ft (2,134 mm) gauge rail was no longer required following the abandonment of broad gauge services in 1892. The second line was brought into use over the viaduct in February 1894 and extended eastwards beyond the station in 1911.[5]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Scorrier
Cornish Main Line eastbound		   Great Western Railway   Carn Brea
Cornish Main Line westbound

Description
Looking westwards from above the tunnel

The station is on the side of a hill with the road climbing steeply from beneath the viaduct at the west end of the station, to climb over the tunnel at the east end. Where the road and railway are on the same level is the entrance to the station. The main offices are on the eastbound platform and a footbridge to the westbound platform spans the tracks near the entrance. There is step-free access to this platform from an approach road on that side of the line.

Buses call at the main entrance to the eastbound platform. A car park is also on this side of the station between the main building and the viaduct on the site formerly occupied by the goods shed.

Services
A Great Western Railway Class 150 at Redruth with a train to Penzance

Redruth is served by all Great Western Railway trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth with one train per hour in each direction.[6] Some trains run through to or from London Paddington, including the Night Riviera overnight sleeping car service and the mid-morning Cornish Riviera. There are a limited number of CrossCountry trains providing a service to Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly (Sundays only) or Dundee in the morning and returning in the evening (three each way in the summer 2019 timetable).

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Camborne   Great Western Railway
Cornish Main Line		   Truro
Camborne   CrossCountry
Cornish Main Line		   Truro

See also

References
  1. Jenkins, SC; Langley, RC (2002). The West Cornwall Railway. Usk: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-589-6.
  2. Binding, John (1993). Brunel's Cornish Viaducts. Penryn: Atlantic Transport Publishing/Historical Model Railway Society. ISBN 0-906899-56-7.
  3. Bennett, Alan (1988). The Great Western Railway in Mid Cornwall. Southampton: Kingfisher Railway Publications. ISBN 0-946184-53-4.
  4. Beacham, Peter; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014). The Buildings of England. Cornwall. Yale University Press. p. 472. ISBN 9780300126686.
  5. Cooke, R A (1977). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR: Section 10, West Cornwall. Harwell: R A Cooke.
  6. Table 51 & 135 National Rail timetable, May 2019
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