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  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Gunnislake, Cornwall England | ||||
| Coordinates | 50°30′58″N 4°13′12″W / 50.516°N 4.220°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SX427708 | ||||
| Managed by | Great Western Railway | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | GSL | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1908 | opened | ||||
| 1994 | resited | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  61,790 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  21,418 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 52,340 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 50,572 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 53,184 | ||||
| |||||
History
edit
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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editThe 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- ^ "Plymouth to St Budeaux and Gunnislake (The Tamar Valley Line) Timetable" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "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.