Tarka Line - Exeter to Barnstaple - services, passenger numbers, carriages, engineering works, incidents and events

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the North Devon Journal:

The Tarka rail line between Barnstaple and Crediton will be closed for two weeks in November.

Passengers will be taken on buses between the towns from November 17 to December 3.

Network Rail will be renewing the track at Lapford and also between Eggesford and Portsmouth Arms. It says the work will make the train ride smoother for passengers and help pave the way for faster journey times.

Further track renewal improvements are planned between Crediton and Yeoford and in the Umberleigh and Chapelton areas next March.

Network Rail said the programme of improvements brings the total spend on the line to ^9.3m to date in the current financial year.

Western route managing director Patrick Hallgate said: "This is the biggest spend on the Tarka Line in more than 100 years and is certainly the largest single investment in the line since approximately ^4.6m (today's prices) was spent on re-modelling the junction and replacing the bridges at Cowley Bridge, Exeter in 1965."

Julian Crow, Regional Manager, West of England for train operator First Great Western, said: "The Tarka Line is thriving with more passengers than ever and we very much welcome this huge investment in the line's future, leading to smoother and faster journeys for our customers. Since the beginning of the franchise in 2006 First Great Western, working with Devon County Council, has provided an additional nine services a week to the line.

"We'll do our best to make journeys as easy as possible whilst the work is carried out and look forward to the improvements when it is completed."

John Burch, chairman of the Tarka Rail Association, said "We are delighted that this work is going ahead on the Tarka Line at long last. We have been involved in discussions about these plans for a very long time. We have worked hard to raise the profile of the Tarka Line and attract investment to improve the service offered. Our ultimate aim is to see faster services on the line and an increase in line capacity to cope with the huge increase in the number of people using the Tarka Line in recent years.

"We realise that suspension of the train service over parts of the line is a huge inconvenience to customers, but this is the best and quickest way to undertake this extensive work. We are also working with First Great Western to ensure that suitable replacement road services are operated during the works and believe that short term pain will bring significant long term gain.

"This investment demonstrates a confidence in secondary routes as part of the essential future public transport network and we know it is the only way to get people out of their cars in the medium to long term."

The line will be closed for major track renewal works from Saturday 17 November to the morning of Monday 3 December 2012. The works in March 2013 are expected to take an additional seven days.

In both November 2012 and March 2013, the railway will remain open for trains as far as Crediton, with replacement road transport being provided between Crediton and stations to Barnstaple.

Network Rail said the work supported aspirations to reduce the journey time between Exeter St David's and Barnstaple in the future. On completion, nearly nine miles of track, just under a quarter of the line's 39 miles, will have been renewed, replacing track which had an average age of 55 years, with some of the earliest components dating back to 1942.

Go to the Tarka Rail Association's website www.tarkarail.org for more information about the work.

[bobm]

Doesn't this one or two week closure happen on most branch lines, especially in the West Country?  I'm sure I have read of this happening in past years.  I suppose it makes economic sense to do work in one big annual "hit" rather than a number of shorter possessions.

[TonyK]

No pain, no gain. Or in this case, no train, no gain.

[Bristolboy]

Doesn't this one or two week closure happen on most branch lines, especially in the West Country?  I'm sure I have read of this happening in past years.  I suppose it makes economic sense to do work in one big annual "hit" rather than a number of shorter possessions.

Recently happened on the maritime line between truro and falmouth.

[TonyK]

Not confined to branch lines, although exceptional circumstances were in place here. In 2004, the line between Narroways Junction and Filton Junction was closed for 2 weeks, to construct the third line and platform through Filton Abbey Wood. The Severn Beach Line was bustituted for the period, but saw its heaviest use in many a long year, as a diversionary route. That added nearly an hour to my journey home one day, not that I minded. Passing a 125 at Avonmouth and a Voyager at Clifton Down, after a ride over the Henbury loop isn't something you can do every day. 

[RichardB]

Here is the story in the Crediton Country Courier
http://www.creditoncouriernewspaper.co.uk/news.cfm?id=37675&searchword=tarka

[TonyK]

I hadn't realised it was such a major job! I may be in Cred during part of the possession, and will take a camera, just in case.

[John R]

The tarkarail.org site has now published the full year passenger numbers, and they show a very creditable increase of 6%. The last two periods were well down - no great surprise there given the closures for engineering work and then flooding. Without that impact the full year increase would have been at least 10%.

One curious statistic is that period 11, normally one of the quieter ones, registered a near 30% increase to give the highest number ever in one month, over 50,000. Yes it included October half term, but period 11 usually does, so I can't think of any reason why the dramatic increase. 

[DavidBrown]

Whilst it won't account for the whole increase, I wonder if the Exeter Chief's first European games (not only a more attractive fixture, but also more games at Sandy Park) would have had an effect? There certaintly seems to be a fair few rugby fans that make their way down on the train from north Devon.

[TonyK]

Whilst it won't account for the whole increase, I wonder if the Exeter Chief's first European games (not only a more attractive fixture, but also more games at Sandy Park) would have had an effect? There certaintly seems to be a fair few rugby fans that make their way down on the train from north Devon.

That's a very good point. Not only is a train ride to Digby and Sowton easier than a drive through Exeter and a search for a parking space, but the train gives one the opportunity to partake of traditional rugby refreshment without falling foul of Devon and Cornwall Police's current drive against anti-social motorists in the city. Support for the chiefs is strong in the county, possibly because of the limited access to sporting events of the type, and people I know are happy to travel from Barnstaple and South Molton to games.

[LiskeardRich]

and people I know are happy to travel from Barnstaple and South Molton to games.

I have travelled from Cornwall for occasional games. I know people from down here who are season ticket holders as well. Exeter Chiefs work closely with local clubs in Cornwall and often provide clubs in Cornwall with complimentary tickets to raffle/ auction to raise money for local club funds. I'm assuming they'd do this even more with Devon clubs.

[RichardB]

The opening of the new John Lewis store in Exeter in early October has been very good for the railway.

The opening was well publicised on local TV.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the North Devon Journal:

Funds made available for Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line improvement

The Tarka Line will come under review in the next month while money has been made available for improvements to the line and Barnstaple Railway Station.

The news comes after a Devon and Exeter Rail Project Working Party meeting at County Hall in Exeter on Friday.


A train on the Tarka Line

Rodney Cann, the Devon County Councillor for Fremington Rural, asked Network Rail representatives at the meeting what message he could take back to North Devon over flooding on the line. And he was told a full report on the matter will be available at the end of March.

"The Tarka line is very much a success story with increasing passenger numbers," said Mr Cann. "It's a vital link to North Devon and the problem is we are never certain when the service is available on the line or when passengers have to take a bus. Flooding for the Tarka Line is not just a one-off but is a regular occurrence. The line actually loses credibility with potential passengers as a result."

But Mr Cann was reassured when he was told Network Rail plan to spend ^75,000 improving the Tarka Line, although how that money will be spent depends on the outcome of the report. There is also ^40,000 of funding available to improve access to Barnstaple station.

^ It was also revealed at the meeting that in the month when a new John Lewis department store opened in Exeter passenger use of the Tarka Line shot up by 28.9 per cent.

[swrural]

I think that figure of ^75,000 is missing a couple of noughts off the end, if it's an amount to update the line and stop any more flooding.   

[John R]

Yes, I'd be interested to know whether that is the correct figure, as it won't even buy a GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) 3 study for any improvement. If it is really only 75k then I'm surprised it even warrants a mention. Richard B - any idea?