Exeter–Plymouth line
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The Exeter–Plymouth line, also called the South Devon Main Line, is a central part of the trunk railway line between and in the southern
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. It is a major branch of the
Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. Opened in 1841, it was the o ...
and runs from to , from where it continues as the
Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line ( kw, Penn-hyns-horn Kernow) is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the famous Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It directly ...
. It was one of the principal routes of the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
which in 1948 became part of the
Western Region of British Railways The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right on completion of the "Organising for Quality" initiative on 6 April 1992. The Region consisted principally of ex-Great We ...
and are now part of the
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...
system.


History

The various sections of line were opened: *Exeter to – 30 May 1846 *Teignmouth to Newton – 30 December 1846 * Newton to – 20 July 1847 * Totnes to – 5 May 1848 * Laira to Plymouth – 2 April 1849 The entire line between Exeter and Plymouth was built by the
South Devon Railway Company The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The line had to traverse difficult hilly terrain, and the compa ...
. The nominally independent companies had all been
amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...
into the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
by 1 February 1876, and the remaining
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...
lines were closed on 20 May 1892 and converted to
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...
over the following weekend. A series of cut-off lines were constructed during the following 15 years which saw the through route established. The Great Western was nationalised on 1 January 1948 as part of the new
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...
ways. In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options to do so by 2000. Some included electrifying the
Bristol to Exeter line Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, Exeter to Plymouth Line,
Riviera Line The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the ''English Riviera'' resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. ...
and
Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line ( kw, Penn-hyns-horn Kernow) is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the famous Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It directly ...
. Under the 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government the proposal was not implemented. Currently, there are no proposals to electrify the line. Resignalling in the 1980s allowed faster running. This was followed by privatisation in the 1990s, being transferred first to
Railtrack Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from 1994 until 2002. It was created as part of the privatisation of ...
and then to its successor
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...
. The maximum speed on the line is now .


Route


Exeter to Newton Abbot

''Communities served:
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
Starcross (and
Exmouth Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the 5th most populous settlement in Devon. Hi ...
via a seasonal ferry service) –
Dawlish Warren Dawlish Warren is a seaside resort near the town of Dawlish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon in England. Dawlish Warren consists almost entirely of holiday accommodation and facilities for holiday-makers especially caravan sites. Lo ...
Dawlish Dawlish is an English seaside resort town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, from the county town of Exeter and from the larger resort of Torquay. Its 2011 population of 11,312 was estimated at 13,355 in 2019. It is ...
Teignmouth
Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...
'' On leaving the line to climbs away on the left passing the Panel Signal Box by the entrance to the Exeter TMD where local
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
DMUs are maintained. The old South Devon Railway main line, crosses the
River Exe The River Exe ( ) in England rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 mile ...
and a parallel flood relief channel, and then passes above the suburbs of
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
along a stone
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
on which is situated
Exeter St Thomas railway station Exeter St Thomas railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter, England, serving the suburb of St Thomas and the riverside area. The station is elevated on a low viaduct with entrances on Cowick Street. It is down the line from a ...
. On the left a short line went down to the
Exeter Canal The Exeter Ship Canal, also known as the Exeter Canal is a canal leading from (and beside) the River Exe to Exeter Quay in the city of Exeter, Devon, England. It was first constructed in the 1560s predating the "canal mania" period and is one ...
at City Basin; on the right a longer branch ran to Heathfield on the Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead branch. The line crosses marshes as it runs alongside the canal and river, passing the site of Exminster railway station, with a George Hennet station house on the right. A square pond to the left of the line is the site of Turf engine house. This stretch of the line used to have long water troughs between the rails from which steam locomotives could refill their water tanks without stopping. From
Powderham Castle Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house situated within the parish and former manor of Powderham, within the former hundred of Exminster, Devon, about south of the city of Exeter and mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of ...
the railway is right alongside the river; on the right of the line is the castle's deer park, while on the left, across the river, trains on the
Avocet Line The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon, England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway, and was historically known as the Exmouth branch railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary ...
run near . The line now enters the village of Starcross beyond which is the pier for the
Exmouth to Starcross Ferry The Exmouth to Starcross Ferry is a passenger ferry which crosses the mouth of the River Exe in the English county of Devon. It links the town of Exmouth on the eastern side of the Exe estuary to the village of Starcross on the western side. The ...
and, on the right, the old Starcross engine house. A little further along the river the railway crosses the mouth of
Cockwood Cockwood is a small village on the west side of the Exe Estuary in Dawlish civil parish, Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. Lying between the villages of Dawlish Warren and Starcross, it is separated from the estuary by the m ...
harbour. Near the shipwreck here on the left was the long Exe Bight Pier, in use from 1869 for about ten years. The railway line opens out into four lines at Dawlish Warren railway station, where the platforms are alongside loop lines that allow fast trains to overtake stopping services. The railway now comes onto the South Devon Railway sea wall which it shares with a footpath. Approaching Dawlish railway station, the Coastguard's Cottage was used by the railway during its construction and then sold to the coastguard; their boat house is below the footbridge. The footpath along the sea wall now ends and the line enters its first tunnel, the Kennaway Tunnel beneath Lea Mount, beyond which is Coryton beach and then Coryton tunnel. The next beach is the private Shell Cove and then the railway passes through Phillot Tunnel and Clerk's Tunnel, emerging onto a section of sea wall at Breeches Rock before diving into Parson's Tunnel beneath Hole Head. The last two tunnels are named after the Parson and Clerk Rocks, two stacks in the sea off Hole Head. When the tunnel was dug the workers cut into a smugglers tunnel which ran from a hidden entrance above the cliff down to a secluded cove. The sea wall is known for its maintenance problems, in particular, all services on the line were suspended after the line collapsed at Dawlish during storms on 5 February 2014, but the line reopened on 4 April 2014 after extensive reconstruction work. Beyond Parson's Tunnel is a short
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
across Smugglers Lane and then the footpath resumes alongside the line for the final stretch of the Sea Wall past Sprey Point to the cutting at Teignmouth Eastcliff. On the right side of the railway near Sprey Point can be seen the remains of a
lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is : CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can take pla ...
used during the construction of the line. The railway passes through to
Teignmouth railway station Teignmouth railway station is on the Exeter to Plymouth line and serves the town of Teignmouth in Devon, England. It is from via Bristol. It is operated by Great Western Railway and is the second-busiest station on the Riviera Line after . ...
then continues through a cutting to emerge behind the busy Teignmouth Harbour, after which the railway resumes its course alongside the water, now the River Teign. The cuttings on both sides of the station were originally tunnels and were opened out between 1879 and 1884. The railway passes under the long
Shaldon Shaldon is a village and civil parish in South Devon, England, on the south bank of the estuary of the River Teign, opposite Teignmouth. The village is a popular bathing place and is characterised by Georgian architecture. At the 2011 Cen ...
Bridge and then follows the river past the small promontories at Flow Point, Red Rock, and Summer House. After leaving the riverside the line crosses Hackney Marshes and passes between the railway sidings at Hackney Yard (left), and the
race course A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also ...
and former Moretonhampstead branch (right). The industrial area to the left of
Newton Abbot railway station Newton Abbot railway station serves the town of Newton Abbot in Devon, England. It is from London, measured from the zero point at to the junction for the branch to . The station today is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide train s ...
is the site of the
South Devon Railway Company The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The line had to traverse difficult hilly terrain, and the compa ...
locomotive workshops — the older stone buildings are the only surviving railway buildings.


Newton Abbot to Plymouth

''Communities served:
Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...
Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...
Ivybridge Ivybridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Andy Hughes’ new house in Ivybridge now he’s forgotten Ugborough. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a N ...
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...
'' Just outside Newton Abbot a line branches off on the left but continues to run alongside the main line. This is the
Riviera Line The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the ''English Riviera'' resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. ...
to and the two routes part company at Aller Junction when the main line curves to the right to start the climb up past Stoneycombe Quarry to Dainton Tunnel. The line from Exeter to Plymouth was designed by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
as an
atmospheric railway An atmospheric railway uses differential air pressure to provide power for propulsion of a railway vehicle. A static power source can transmit motive power to the vehicle in this way, avoiding the necessity of carrying mobile power generating e ...
which allowed steeper gradients, sharper curves, and lighter structures. Atmospheric trains never ran beyond Newton Abbot but the legacy of the aborted scheme means that line speeds on towards Plymouth are lower than elsewhere on the route. Once through Dainton Tunnel the line drops down past
Littlehempston Littlehempston is a village and civil parish in the South Hams District of Devon in England consisting of 83 households, with a population of 207 in the parish. It has also been called Little Hempston and Hempston Arundel. The village has many ...
and shortly the South Devon Railway, a
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
, on the right. The line immediately crosses over the
River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...
and arrives at , which has passing loops to allow slower trains to be overtaken. Behind the right-hand platform can be seen a dairy which is built around the old atmospheric engine house. The line then passes under the concurrent A385 and
A381 road A381 may refer to: * The A381 road in Devon, England * The Autovía A-381, a motorway in Andalucia, Spain * The RMAS ''Cricklade'' (A381), a fleet tender to the United Kingdom's Royal Navy {{Letter-NumberCombDisambig ...
s carried on a steel girder bridge. The steep climb up Rattery Bank starts right from the end of the platform, a stiff challenge in former days to trains that called at Totnes. At the top is Rattery Viaduct and the Marley Tunnel. The original single-track tunnel had a second bore added alongside it in 1893 when the line was doubled. The line is now running along the southern edge of
Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
.
Brent railway station Brent railway station was on the South Devon Railway, serving the village of South Brent on the southern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. The line through Brent opened on 5 May 1848 but the station was not ready to open until 15 June 1848.R ...
was once the junction for the
Kingsbridge branch line Kingsbridge branch line was a single track branch line railway in Devon, England. The railway, which became known as the Primrose Line, opened in 1893 and, despite local opposition, closed in 1963. It left the Exeter to Plymouth line at Brent ...
which joined the route in the cutting just before the station. Curving to the left the line passes over the Brent Mill Viaduct and then the Glazebrook Viaduct. After passing through the Wrangaton Tunnel the line passes through the remains of Wrangaton railway station; Monksmoor Siding on the right used to serve a naval stores depot. Just beyond the site of Bittaford Platform is the Bittaford Viaduct. The industrial buildings on the right were built as
china clay Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
dries where clay dug on Dartmoor was treated; the
Redlake Tramway The Redlake Tramway was a railway built to carry supplies and workers between Bittaford and the clay workings at Redlake, near the centre of the southern part of Dartmoor, Devon, England. It was built in 1911 to a narrow gauge A narrow-gau ...
was built alongside the pipeline that carried the liquid clay. The line now comes to
Ivybridge railway station Ivybridge railway station is situated on the Exeter to Plymouth line and serves the town of Ivybridge in Devon, England. It is measured from the zero point at via Box. History First station Ivybridge's first station was located at . It w ...
. The platforms here are staggered with the one on the left nearer Totnes than the one on the right. This is a modern station opened in 1994; the original station was closed in 1965 and was on the far side of the curving Ivybridge Viaduct where an old
goods shed A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train. A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built ...
can be seen on the left. After the Blatchford Viaduct is the old
Cornwood railway station Cornwood railway station was a former railway station located in the village of Cornwood in Devon on the South Devon Main Line between Exeter and Plymouth. It was constructed a few years after the opening of the stretch of line. The station wa ...
where George Hennet's station house is on the right. Slade Viaduct brings rises to the top of Hemerdon Bank, the steepest climb for trains heading towards Newton Abbot. A fast run down the bank to the site of
Plympton railway station Plympton railway station was a former railway station located at Plympton in Devon on the South Devon Main Line between Exeter and Plymouth. Plympton was a town in its own right when the railway was constructed but is today an eastern suburb ...
, and then Tavistock Junction. The large goods yard here includes a maintenance shed for on-track equipment and a connection to the china clay drier at
Marsh Mills Marsh Mills, also known as Haley's Mill or Spielman Mill, is a historic home located at Fairplay, Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is a -story, three- bay-wide limestone house. The structure was built about 1850 as a mill, then con ...
. This is on the former
South Devon and Tavistock Railway The South Devon and Tavistock Railway linked Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon; it opened in 1859. It was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, in Cornwall in 1865. It was a broad gauge line but from 1876 also carried t ...
although the junction originally faced Plymouth. The line swings left under the Marsh Mills Viaduct of the
A38 road The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, Bristol, Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England. The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, mak ...
and then runs alongside the tidal estuary of the
River Plym The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the Plym Valley Railway runs alongsi ...
on the left, with the grounds of
Saltram House Saltram House is a grade I listed George II era mansion house located in the parish of Plympton, near Plymouth in Devon, England. It was deemed by the architectural critic Pevsner to be "the most impressive country house in Devon". The ho ...
at
Plymstock Plymstock is a commuter suburb of Plymouth and former civil parish in the English county of Devon. Geography Situated on the east bank of the River Plym, Plymstock is geographically and historically part of the South Hams. It comprises the vil ...
on the far bank. Underneath the Embankment Road bridge which carries the A38 over the line again and
Laira TMD Laira T&RSMD is a railway traction and rolling stock maintenance depot situated in Plymouth, Devon, England. The depot is operated by Great Western Railway and is mainly concerned with the overhaul and daily servicing of their fleet of High S ...
on the left. Laira maintains
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
's
High Speed Trains High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
in Devon. A triangle of lines takes a freight route down to the
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...
waterfront ''via'' the closed
Plymouth Friary railway station Plymouth Friary railway station was the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) terminus in Plymouth, Devon, England. History London and South Western Railway trains first arrived at Plymouth on 17 May 1876, entering the town from the east. ...
, which was the terminus for trains on the competing route from
London Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a London station group, central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo, London, Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connecte ...
. Passing through the short Mutley Tunnel, trains emerge past the former Mutley station site and former Royal Eye Infirmary into
Plymouth railway station Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is on the northern edge of the city centre, close to the North Cross roundabout. It Is the second busiest station in the county of Devon, and is the largest of the six su ...
, which was originally known as North Road Station as trains continued beyond it to .


Current services

Most of services on the route are operated by
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
. These services include the high speed trains from London Paddington to , Plymouth or . Some of these services travel through Reading and Bristol, and join at Taunton, before continuing to Exeter on the
Bristol to Exeter line Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. The operator also provides local services along the full length of the line.
CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
services operate along the entire line. These services travel north from Plymouth through Exeter, before continuing through
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
and to either North East England and Scotland or North West England; some continue westwards beyond Plymouth.


Infrastructure

The route is double track throughout with passing loops at certain locations. The highest line-speed on the route is . The route has a
loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
clearance of W7, and is open to rolling stock up to Route Availability 8. Signalling requires four minutes between trains on most of the route, but 6 minutes west of Newton Abbot.
Signalling In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
is by multiple-aspect signals, controlled from panel signal boxes at Exeter and Plymouth. Most of the signals are three-aspect, but some sections of two- or four-aspect signalling also exist.


Accidents

There has been a number of serious accidents on the line over the years. Some of the notable ones are: * – collision, 22 September 1921. *
Sea Wall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...
– landslip, 16 February 1855 and various other dates including 5 February 2014. (See South Devon Railway sea wall for full list) * – collision, 31 October 1853. * Totnes – boiler explosion, 13 March 1860. * Totnes – derailment, 5 April 1865. *
Rattery Rattery is located within the county of Devon only a few miles from the villages Buckfastleigh and neighbouring village Ashburton the name can sometime be seen a variant of Red Tree but is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ratreu. The origins o ...
near Totnes – collision, 1 August 1853. * – collision, 29 July 1862. * – boiler explosion, 27 June 1849. * Plympton – collision, 13 September 1866. * – buffer stop collision, 13 September 1866.


See also

*
Disused railway stations (Exeter to Plymouth Line) There are eleven disused railway stations between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth Millbay, Devon, England. At eight of these there are visible remains. Of the eleven stations, South Brent and Plympton are subject of campaigns for reopening while ...
*
Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR The Exeter to Plymouth railway of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was the westernmost part of a route competing with that of the Great Western Railway (GWR) and its 'associated companies' from London and Exeter to Plymouth in Devon, ...


References


Sources and further reading

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Exeter-Plymouth line Railway lines in South East England Rail transport in Devon Transport in Exeter Railway lines opened in 1906 Railway lines in South West England 1906 establishments in England