Wikipedia

St Erth railway station

St Erth railway station is a Grade II listed[1] station situated at Rose-an-Grouse in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It serves the nearby village of St Erth, which is about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) away, and is the junction for the St Ives Bay Line to St Ives. The station is 320 miles 78 chains (320.98 mi; 516.6 km) from the zero point at London Paddington measured via Box and Plymouth Millbay.[2]

St Erth
National Rail
General information
LocationSt Erth, Cornwall
England
Coordinates50°10′17″N 5°26′37″W / 50.17140°N 5.44374°W / 50.17140; -5.44374
Grid referenceSW541357
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeSER
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyWest Cornwall Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
11 March 1852Opened as St Ives Road
1 June 1877St Ives branch opened
1 June 1877Renamed as St Erth
Passengers
2019/20Increase 0.291 million
 Interchange Increase 0.235 million
2020/21Decrease 0.136 million
 Interchange Decrease 76,122
2021/22Increase 0.386 million
 Interchange Increase 0.210 million
2022/23Decrease 0.365 million
 Interchange Increase 0.231 million
2023/24Increase 0.396 million
 Interchange Increase 0.242 million
Listed Building – Grade II
FeatureSt Erth Station
Designated14 January 1988
Reference no.1143618
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

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The station was opened by the West Cornwall Railway on 11 March 1852.[3] At this time it was known as St Ives Road and was the railhead for that town, which lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north.[4] This was an important harbour with a busy fishing trade and tin and copper mines; the new railway brought it artists and then tourists.[5] The station was a simple single platform situated on the north side of the line.[6]

On 1 June 1877 a branch line was opened from here to St Ives, which was when the station was renamed 'St Erth'.[7] The station building was reconstructed in granite[8] and a second track was laid on the north side of the platform for branch line trains, but the main line still had only the one track. This was partly rectified in about 1894 when a loop line with its own platform was opened, but the line was only doubled eastwards to Hayle on 10 September 1899, and westwards to Marazion on 16 June 1929.[6] Beyond the St Ives branch platform was the station goods yard and sidings which served a china clay dry for a few years. It then served milk trains from the Primrose Dairy creamery, later operated by United Dairies,[9] although these were taken out of use in 1982.[10] A camping coach was positioned here by the Western Region from 1953 to 1964, there were two coaches here for the last three years.[11]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Marazion   Great Western Railway
Cornish Main Line 		  Hayle
Terminus   Great Western Railway
St Ives Branch 		  Lelant

Facilities

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New ticket office opened in 2017

The station buildings are constructed of granite in an 'L' shape west and north of the St Ives bay platform. The booking office is staffed for part of the day and is located in the west-facing section which faces the station car park. The northern range incorporates staff accommodation as well as refreshment facilities which appeared in a list of the ten best station cafes published in The Guardian in 2009.[12] Platforms 2 and 3 have a long canopy above them to protect passengers waiting for their train. At the west end of this is a covered footbridge which links with the main westbound platform for trains to Penzance, and a large wooden shelter is provided here. A small granite building further up the platform is for staff use. As with several other stations in Cornwall, small palm trees grow on the main platforms, both of which can accommodate seven-coach trains.[13]

In 2017, a new concourse and ticket office was opened in St Erth, replacing the old ticket office which was smaller. The new building now includes toilet facilities and a waiting lounge, including a medium-sized ticket office with two windows. This process also included upgraded step-free access to the concourse and to platforms 2 & 3. A new entrance to platforms 2 & 3 near to the station café was also built, next to an also new private building for staff only. An improved transport interchange is under construction in 2018.[14]

 
New footbridge being built in 2024

A replacement footbridge with lifts is being installed to enable step-free access to the whole station. The work was due to be completed in spring 2024,[15] but was later pushed back to the end of 2024.[16] The original footbridge was dismantled in October 2024 and donated to the East Somerset Railway; they plan to install it at Cranmore railway station by the end of 2025.[17] The span of the new footbridge, which weighed 50 tonnes (50,000 kg), was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne (1,000,000 kg) crane in October 2024, with temporary staircases being used until permanent staircases are erected.[17] The project provoked discussion: it was supported by local MP Derek Thomas and Connor Donnithorne, the cabinet member responsible for transport at Cornwall Council, while some residents opposed the plans.[16] One local historian said that the station would be "losing a valuable asset", replaced by a poorly-designed "eyesore".[18]

Platform layout

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  • Platform 1 is the westbound platform and is used by almost all services to Penzance, with the exception of those originating from St Ives.
  • Platform 2 is the eastbound platform and is predominantly used for services towards Truro, Plymouth, Exeter, London and Bristol, as well as a small number of services that go to St Ives from Penzance.[13]
  • Platform 3 is a bay platform that is exclusively used by trains to/from St Ives.

Because the main line is on a falling gradient towards Hayle, at the buffer stop end of platform 3 a few steps are needed to connect platforms 2 and 3 but at the east end they are nearly level. Standing at this end of the station the line to St Ives curves away to the left over Western Growers Crossing towards the covered way beneath the A30 road. The Cornish Main Line towards Hayle drops gently to the right with the signal box situated between the two.[13] The Down Sidings on the right of the main line are level and so are higher than the main line at the far end. In 2022, platform 3 was extended by 6 metres (20 feet) to allow it to accommodate a train with five carriages.[19]

Signalling

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A train going to London passes the signal box as it leaves St Erth

The signal box is situated at the east end of the station between the main line and the St Ives branch. It was opened on 10 September 1899 when the main line was doubled to Hayle and replaced an earlier box that dated from around the time of the opening of the St Ives branch. Semaphore signals still control movements around the station. The signal box also controls trains on the St Ives branch.[10]

Passenger volume

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St Erth sees more passengers change train than any other station in Cornwall.[20]

  2002-03 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Entries 35,664 45,570 44,280 33,472 33,844 46,719 37,624 60,385 101,181
Exits 35,742 44,971 44,061 33,532 34,386 46,719 37,624 60,385 101,181
Interchanges unknown 85,652 87,676 102,930 115,100 119,106 130,517 138,551 179,632
Total 71,406 176,193 176,017 169,934 183,330 212,544 205,765 259,321 391,994

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

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A Class 150 in the St Ives bay platform. The main line can be seen to the right.

St Erth is served by all Great Western Railway trains services on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth. Some trains run through to or from London Paddington station, including the Night Riviera overnight sleeping car service and the Golden Hind which offers an early morning service to London and an evening return. Other fast trains are the mid-morning Cornish Riviera and the afternoon Royal Duchy. Frequent services on the St Ives Bay Line are operated by Great Western Railway. A small number of these trains are extended from or to Penzance.[21]

There are a limited number of CrossCountry trains (3 per day each way) providing a service to Scotland in the morning and returning in the evening.[22]

On an average weekday St Erth sees up to 69 trains, 26 trains to St Ives, 22 towards Penzance and 21 towards Plymouth. This makes it the busiest station in Cornwall in terms of services.

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Penzance   Great Western Railway
Cornish Main Line 		  Hayle
  CrossCountry
Cornish Main Line 		 
Terminus   Great Western Railway
St Ives Bay Line 		  Lelant Saltings

References

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  1. ^ Historic England, "St Erth Station (1143618)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 January 2017
  2. ^ Padgett, David (June 2018) [1989]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 3: Western & Wales (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 11B. ISBN 978-1-9996271-0-2.
  3. ^ Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 396. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  4. ^ MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway. Vol. 2 (1863-1921) (1 ed.). London: Great Western Railway.
  5. ^ Bray, Lena; Bray, Donald (1992) [1981]. St Ives Heritage (Second ed.). Devoran: Landfall Publications. ISBN 1-873443-06-4.
  6. ^ a b Cooke, R A (1977). Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR: Section 10, West Cornwall. Harwell: R A Cooke.
  7. ^ Beacham, Peter; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014). The Buildings of England. Cornwall. Yale University Press. p. 538. ISBN 9780300126686.
  8. ^ Bennett, Alan (1990) [1988]. The Great Western Railway in West Cornwall (2 ed.). Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870754-12-3.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Stanley C (1992). "the St Ives Branch". Great Western Railway Journal (Cornish Special Issue). Wild Swan Publications Ltd: 2–34.
  10. ^ a b Pryer, GA (2000). Signal Box Diagrams of the Great Western & Southern Railways, Volume 16: GWR Lines in West Cornwall. Weymouth: GA Pryer. ISBN 0-9532460-5-1.
  11. ^ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 95. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  12. ^ Wills, Dixe (12 May 2009). "Ten of the best railway cafes". Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  13. ^ a b c Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford-on-Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
  14. ^ Cornwall Council - St Erth https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/roads-highways-and-pavements/major-highway-schemes/st-erth-multi-modal-hub/
  15. ^ Smith, Roger (5 September 2023). "Cornwall station to have step-free access for first time". RailAdvent. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b Oliver Vergnault (19 March 2024). "St Erth's iconic Victorian footbridge to be replaced with 'modern monstrosity'". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  17. ^ a b "New footbridge deck and temporary staircases installed at St Erth as listed one is dismantled". St Ives Times & Echo. No. 5854. 8 November 2024. p. 3.
  18. ^ "Historian slams 'eyesore' St Erth Station footbridge replacement". St Ives Times & Echo. No. 5822. 29 March 2024. p. 4.
  19. ^ White, Chloe (18 March 2022). "An extra 2,000 seats per day for the St. Ives branch line". RailAdvent. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  21. ^ Table 144 National Rail timetable, May 2019
  22. ^ Table 51 & 135 National Rail timetable, May 2019
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