Maritime Line
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The Maritime Line is a railway line that runs in the valley of the
River Fal The River Fal ( kw, Dowr Fala) flows through Cornwall, England, rising at Pentevale on Goss Moor (between St. Columb and Roche) and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and ...
from
Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
, the county town, to Falmouth on the south coast of
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England.


History

The railway line, now known as The Maritime Line, was built by the Cornwall Railway as a
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 (CIS ...
line of gauge from
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port 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 the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
to Falmouth. The purpose of the scheme was to link
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with Falmouth, a port where
packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...
s sailed to destinations in Europe, Africa, and America. As the main line of the company, the line was intended to be constructed as double-track throughout. Construction commenced in 1847 but the main contractor suffered financial problems which put a temporary stop to any work. Efforts restarted in 1859 on completion of the line from Plymouth to Truro which opened on 4 May that year. The inhabitants of Falmouth soon put pressure on the company to complete the line to their town as originally intended, and a further Act of Parliament was obtained in 1861. The line was costly to build with six viaducts and two tunnels and it opened on 24 August 1863, by which time the packet ships had been diverted elsewhere. The connection from Falmouth station to the docks was opened in 1864. After the
West Cornwall Railway The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Pen ...
was converted to broad gauge in 1867, the Truro to Falmouth line tended to be operated as a branch, with the trains from
London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services pro ...
operating to
Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
instead. The original stations on the line were at , (known as Perran until 19 February 1864), and Falmouth (now Falmouth Docks). was added on 1 July 1925, and (originally known as Falmouth and later as The Dell) opened on 7 December 1970. The line terminated at the Town station for five years before reopening to the original terminus at the docks in 1975 to permit through services from London.


Great Western and BR

The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated 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 ...
on 1 July 1889. Following the amalgamation, plans were put in place for conversion 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 Ea ...
, which took place over the weekend of 21 May 1892. The Great Western Railway was
nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
into
British Railways 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 rai ...
on 1 January 1948.


Privatisation

Britain's railways were privatised in the 1990s. At privatisation, the line was operated by
Wales & West Wales & West was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the South Wales & West franchise from 1996 until 2001. The franchise was operated by Prism Rail from October 1996 until July 2000, when the firm was taken over by N ...
train operating company A train operating company (TOC) is a business operating Passenger Trains, passenger trains on the Rail transport in Great Britain, railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the Privatisation ...
for a few years until the company split. From 14 October 2001, the Maritime Line became the responsibility of
Wessex Trains Wessex Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Wessex Trains franchise from October 2001 until March 2006, when the franchise was merged with the Great Western and Thames Valley f ...
. When the franchise became due for renewal, the tender was won by First Great Western (which has since rebranded as
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 ...
) and the company took over the operation on 1 April 2006.


Community rail

The Maritime Line is one of the railway lines supported by the
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places serv ...
, an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking, birdwatching, and visiting country
pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s. The Maritime Line
rail ale trail A rail ale trail is a marketing exercise in the United Kingdom that is designed to promote tourism to a rural area, by encouraging people to visit a series of pubs that are close to railway station, stations along a railway line. Participants a ...
was launched in 2003 to encourage rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. Of the 14 participating pubs, four are in Truro, one in Perranwell, three in Penryn, and four in Falmouth. 10 stamps collected in the Rail Ale Trail leaflet entitle the participant to claim special Maritime Line Rail Trail tour shirt. The Rail Partnership promote a ''Foodie Guide'' to the line to encourage people to visit local cafes, restaurants and food events.
Wessex Trains Wessex Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Wessex Trains franchise from October 2001 until March 2006, when the franchise was merged with the Great Western and Thames Valley f ...
painted a Class 150 two-car DMU (number 150265) in coloured pictures promoting the line and named it ''The Falmouth Flyer''. The unit continued in service with First Great Western when the company won the franchise but it has now been repainted in the standard fleet colours. While in the pictorial livery the unit worked throughout the southwest, and not just on its named line. The branch was designated by the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
as a
community rail Community rail in Britain is the support of railway lines and stations by local organisations, usually through community rail partnerships (CRPs) comprising railway operators, local councils, and other community organisations, and rail user group ...
line in September 2006. This aims to increase the number of passengers and reduce costs. Strategies for investigation include more effective revenue collection, a passing loop, improved bus links, and working with ferry operators and colleges in the area.


Improvements in 2009

The line was originally double track at Penryn, to provide a crossing place. Evidence of the double track can be seen at Penryn station, where two platforms are still visible. The
Beeching Report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...
in the 1960s instigated the reduction of the line there from two to one. In 2004 a proposal was put forward to reinstate a passing loop on the line, to allow for a doubling of service frequency. Funding was agreed with £4.67 million coming from
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
funds, £2.5 million from
Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( kw, Konsel Kernow) is the unitary authority for Cornwall in the United Kingdom, not including the Isles of Scilly, which has its own unitary council. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition o ...
, and £600,000 from
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 leng ...
. The new loop was installed over two long weekends in October 2008 and work on the platform extension was also started. The loop was brought into use ahead of schedule and to budget, with the formal opening by Kevin Lavery, the Chief Executive of Cornwall Council, taking place at Penryn station on 18 May 2009. Works included a new car park and waiting shelter at Penryn, in addition to the new loop, signalling and platform lengthening.


Route


Communities served

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
Perranarworthal Perranarworthal ( kw, Peran ar Wodhel) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Falmouth and five miles (8 km) southwest of Truro. Perranarworthal p ...
PenrynFalmouth.


Route description

Maritime Line trains start from
Truro railway station Truro railway station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. The station is from via . It is situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth Docks railway station, Falmouth Docks. The station is ...
, usually originating from the bay platform, at the left side of the main platform beyond the footbridge. The trains join the main line for the first half-mile to Penwithers Junction, passing through the -long Higher Town Tunnel on the way. At this point the line to
Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
curves away to the right; the line to Falmouth was originally the
Cornwall Railway The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventu ...
main line and so runs straight ahead while the Penzance line was built by the West Cornwall Railway Company. When originally built, tho two lines here ran as parallel single line but were completely separate; the connection at Penwithers Junction only being made in 1893 when the section was converted to double track. The Maritime Line today only has a
junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...
with the westbound (''down'') line; trains running towards Truro (the ''up'' direction) come inbound on the ''down'' main line, the same line used by trains departing Truro for Penzance. The line from Penwithers Junction to Falmouth Docks has always been single track. From the tunnel the line emerges into the countryside outside
Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
. The small excavated area of land on the left is a local nature reserve which supports rare plants due to its unusual position in a triangle of rail routes - the Maritime Line, the disused continuation of the West Cornwall Railway to the riverside at Newham, and a never-built route allowing Cornwall Railway trains to reach Newham. The route to Newham is now a
cycle path A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...
round the edge of the city. One and a half miles from the junction, the line enters Sparnick Tunnel, which is a little over a quarter of a mile long. Although the line has only ever had a single track, most of the engineering, including the tunnels, was designed to carry a second one. The line, which heads south-westwards until this point, now heads towards the south and passes high above the silted-up
Restronguet Creek Restronguet Creek is a tidal ria in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a tributary of Carrick Roads, the estuary of the River Fal, and is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) south of Truro and three miles (5 km) north of ...
on
Carnon viaduct The Carnon viaduct carries a railway line from Truro to Falmouth – now branded the Maritime Line – over the valley of the Carnon River in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. The viaduct is situated half-a-mile (800 metres) northeast o ...
. This valley was the route of the
Redruth and Chasewater Railway The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, (otherwise called the ''Redruth and Chacewater Railway'' using modern spelling), was an early mineral railway line in Cornwall, England, UK. It opened in 1825 and was built to convey the output from copper mine ...
down to quays at
Devoran Devoran ( kw, Deveryon) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is southwest of Truro at .Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' Formerly an ecclesiastical parish, Devoran is now in the civil par ...
, about a mile beyond the viaduct. It is now part of the
Mineral Tramway Trails The mineral tramways trails are a series of trails located in mid west Cornwall, The trails are as follows: Current trails The Coast to Coast trail 17.5 km From Devoran to Portreath following disused tramways The Great Flat Lode trail 12 km A ...
. A half-mile later, the line comes to
Perranwell railway station Perranwell station is on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks in south-west England. It is measured from (via Box and Plymouth Millbay). The station is managed by, and the services are operated by, Great Western Railway. Hist ...
, nearly four miles from Truro. A modern shelter is situated on the platform, built in a style inspired by older railway buildings. As with all stations except for Truro, the platform is on the left as the train travels towards Falmouth. In the forecourt is the old Cornwall Railway
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 ...
. The line now begins to head west, passing over the short Perran Viaduct and then south again along the hillside above Perranwell village before passing through the -long Perran Tunnel. Turning south-eastwards, the line now passes over Ponsanooth Viaduct, the tallest on the line.
Ponsanooth Ponsanooth ( kw, Pons an Woodh, meaning "bridge at the stream") is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about four miles southeast of Redruth and two and a half miles northwest of Penryn on the A393 road Redrut ...
village is on the hillside to the right, while the River Kennal runs below to join up with Restronguet Creek. The line passes beneath the
A39 road The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynm ...
from Truro to Falmouth at Treluswell, Four Cross, and then shortly enters Penryn which grew up at the head of a large inlet of the
River Fal The River Fal ( kw, Dowr Fala) flows through Cornwall, England, rising at Pentevale on Goss Moor (between St. Columb and Roche) and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and ...
.
Penryn railway station Penryn railway station is on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks, and serves the town of Penryn, Cornwall as well as Penryn Campus (formerly known as Tremough Campus). It is measured from (via Box and Plymouth Millbay). The ser ...
is at the top of the town, and there are views across the town to
St Gluvias St Gluvias is a settlement in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is now a suburb on the northern edge of Penryn which is northwest of Falmouth. Until 1 April 2021 there was civil parish was called St Gluvias which doesn't include ...
on the other side of the harbour. The station is eight and a quarter miles from Truro, and the platform shelter is identical to the one at Perranwell. Beyond the station the line passes over the Collegewood Viaduct. The last timber railway viaduct in Cornwall was here, but was replaced by this stone structure on 22 July 1934. At Penryn there is a wide open space now occupied by student housing for the Tremough Campus of the University of Falmouth. This was the goods yard where wagons were loaded and unloaded. There is also another platform visible on the other side of the train, though it is overgrown. The line soon enters the outskirts of Falmouth. The town was established at the entrance to the inlet that leads to Penryn; it has now nearly spread to reach that town. Trains first call at the
Penmere railway station Penmere railway station serves the northern part of Falmouth, Cornwall, England. It is on the Maritime Line between and , measured from . The station is managed by, and the trains operated by, Great Western Railway. History The station was ...
, useful for people heading for the top of The Moor in the town centre, or for the newer western suburbs. Passengers get a quick glimpse on their right of Falmouth Bay before trains call at the concrete platform of
Falmouth Town railway station Falmouth Town railway station is the most central of the stations in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. It is on the Maritime Line, measured from (via Box and Plymouth Millbay). It is unstaffed; the station and the trains are operated by Great W ...
, which is nearer the
National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...
, the waterside, and the shops. The station itself was constructed using items that were reclaimed from Perranporth Beach Halt after that station closed. It is now just a short distance to the terminus at
Falmouth Docks railway station Falmouth Docks railway station ( kw, Porthklos Aberfala) is situated in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. It was opened in 1863 as the terminus of the Maritime Line from , although since 1970 has been the principal station for the town. Falmouth Doc ...
, from Truro.
Falmouth Docks Falmouth Docks are a deep-water docks of the town of Falmouth in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The docks are the southern shore of the Fal Estuary which is the third largest natural harbour in the world and the deepest in Europe. They ex ...
are below the station on the left,
Pendennis Castle Pendennis Castle (Cornish: ''Penn Dinas'', meaning "headland fortification") is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII near Falmouth, Cornwall, England between 1540 and 1542. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect agai ...
overlooks both these and the Gyllyngvase Beach on the other side of the line. Sidings serve the docks but are little used.


Infrastructure

When the line opened the signals were controlled by 'policemen' who walked between them. Signals and points at Truro station were in 1874 and signal boxes built in 1876. Other signal boxes were built at * Penwithers Junction. Opened by 1879, rebuilt 1893, closed 7 November 1971. 36 Levers. * Perranwell. Opened 1894, closed 18 April 1966. Built in an elevated position next to the platform above a siding. 21 levers. * Penryn. Opening date unknown, rebuilt 1894 and again 14 June 1923, closed 7 November 1971 when replaced by a
Ground Frame Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals, track locks and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control. Usually located in the signal box, the ...
which was itself removed in 1979. 32 levers from 1923. * Falmouth. Opening date unknown, rebuilt 1894, closed 27 February 1966 when replaced by a Ground Frame. The Maritime Line crosses several steep-sided valleys that carry tributaries of the River Fal and there were originally eight viaducts built to cross these: *Penwithers Viaduct. high and long. Originally ten stone piers each topped by a wooden fan but buried in an embankment as an alternative to rebuilding in 1926. *Ringwell Viaduct. high and long. Originally of stone piers topped by a series of wooden fans. Scheduled for rebuilding in 1880 but replaced by an embankment in 1933. *Carnon Viaduct. high and long. Originally eleven stone piers each topped by a wooden fan but a new viaduct of 9 stone piers built adjacent in 1933. *Perran Viaduct. high and long. Originally five stone piers each topped by a wooden fan but a new viaduct also of 5 stone piers built adjacent in 1927. *Ponsanooth Viaduct. high and long. Originally of stone piers topped by a series of wooden fans but a new viaduct built adjacent in 1930. *Pascoe Viaduct. high and long. Originally of stone piers topped by a series of wooden fans but made redundant when the track was realigned on an embankment in 1923. *Penryn Viaduct. high and long. Originally of five stone piers each topped by a wooden fan but made redundant with a major track realignment in 1923 that also involved changing the location of Penryn Station. *Collegewood Viaduct. high and long. Originally fourteen stone piers each topped by a wooden fan built on a left-handed curve (travelling in the ''down'' direction). It was replaced by a stone version built alongside in 1934 by which time it was the last surviving Brunel wooden viaduct in Cornwall.


Passenger volume

The majority of passengers on the Maritime Line travel between Truro and the three stations in Falmouth, the busiest of which is Falmouth Town although passenger numbers at Falmouth Docks increased faster. Comparing the year from April 2008 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers at the Docks station increased by 214% while those at the Town station increased by 38% and at Penmere increased by 42%. Since the doubling of train frequency the increases have been greater still. For example, between the years starting 2002 and 2010 Penryn's passenger count rose by 247%, Penmere by 126% and Falmouth Docks by 266%. Falmouth Town has increased further by 109%. Even Perranwell (where the extra trains do not always stop) has increased by a healthy 93%


Services


Passenger services

At the opening of the Cornwall Railway there were five trains to and from Falmouth daily with two trains running on Sundays, with trains carrying first, second and third class accommodation. After the connection between the Cornwall Railway and the West Cornwall Railway the line to Falmouth was considered a branch line and local services were run on an out-and-back basis from Truro. Before
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the winter timetable for the
Cornish Riviera Express The ''Cornish Riviera Express'' is a British express passenger train that has run between London Paddington and Penzance in Cornwall since 1904. Introduced by the Great Western Railway, the name ''Cornish Riviera Express'' has been applied to ...
showed that it included at least one through carriage for Falmouth, this being detached/attached at Truro, and this facility continued until the summer of 1939 until the advent of
World War 2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
when that train ran through to Penzance only without any portions being attached/detached for any of the Cornish branches. During the 1950s through trains were again a feature of traffic on the line, and other than London Paddington, Bradford was one of the less likely destinations for a though train. Since the 1970s trains have only run between and . Connections are made at Truro with services on 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 ...
to , and beyond. Service in the 1960s was 16 or 17 trains daily, and had been reduced to 12 by 1975. In 1984 there were still 12 trains each way every day on summer Saturdays with 11 trains each way on weekdays and winter Saturdays, although the last train from Falmouth left earlier on summer Saturdays than on weekdays. In addition there were 8 trains each way on summer Sundays with the first train not leaving Truro until 10.35 but there was no Sunday service after 9 September. By 2008 there were 13 trains each way, but with the new loop installed at the May 2009 timetable provides for 29 allowing for a service interval of 30 minutes. The enhanced timetable resulted in trains being formed with one coach instead of the former two, but the increase in demand has resulted in GWR allocating sufficient stock to enable both services to be operated by two car units from 2012. was a request stop for many years, but trains have called without being requested since 2017.


Locomotives and stock

During the 1960s and 1970 local services between Truro and Falmouth were operated by
Diesel multiple units A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
based at Plymouth Laira including
Metro-Cammell Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...
Class 101s, BRCW Class 118s, BR Swindon Class 120s and
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
single units. Locomotive-hauled trains between
Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
and Falmouth were restored during the summer timetable from 1975 but ceased again at the end of the 1979 summer timetable. During this period the services consisted on BR Mk2 D/E/F coaches typically hauled by a Class 50. In the 2000s, passenger services were operated by Class 150 "Sprinters" or Class 153 "Super Sprinters", although Class 158 units did substitute on occasion. An unusual working in March 2000 was a visit to Falmouth Docks by preserved Warship Class locomotive number D821 which was renamed ''Cornwall'' alongside the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
ship HMS Cornwall


Future


Mid-Cornwall Metro proposal

The proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro scheme would see hourly extensions of the service from Falmouth beyond Truro to and (with a reversal at ), creating a coast to coast through-service with the aim of easing road congestion for people living along the route. In 2022 the scheme was chosen to reach the next stage of the government's Restoring your Railway programme.


References


Citations


References

* * * * *


Notes


Further reading

* *


External links


Great Scenic Railways in Devon and Cornwall.
{{coord, 50.2084, -5.1330, dim:20000_region:GB, display=title Rail transport in Cornwall Scenic railway lines in Devon and Cornwall Community railway lines in England Railway lines in South West England Standard gauge railways in England 7 ft gauge railways