Penzance railway station
Encyclopedia
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance
, Cornwall
, UK
. The station is the western terminus of the 305.25 miles (491 km) Cornish Main Line
from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours.
Platforms 1, 2 and 3 are within the main train shed
; Platform 4 on the south side is in the open air. A large stone at the end of this platform welcomes people to Penzance in two languages: English and Cornish
. This side of the station is built on the sea wall near the harbour, the other side is cut into the hillside.
It is both the southernmost station on the National Rail
network and the westernmost station in England
, although not Great Britain
as some stations in Scotland
are further west. The station is operated by First Great Western
as is every other station in Cornwall.
This is the Cornish terminus of the Night Riviera
sleeper train to and from Paddington.
's operation of most of the early bus services in the area
. History has come full circle, with the First Group again operating a large number of both the buses and trains in the area.
The Tourism Information Centre is located in the middle of the bus station.
There is also a bus service that connects the railway station with the Penzance Heliport
, from which there are scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly
.
The station was opened by the West Cornwall Railway
on 11 March 1852 as the terminus of its line from Redruth
. This wooden station was replaced by the current buildings in 1879. Further alterations were made in 1937 and again in 1983 when new a ticket office and buffet were opened.
The arch that is blocked up in the wall that retains the hillside behind the platforms was used by the railway as a coal store. Freight traffic, especially the busy fish trade, was handled in a goods yard where the cars are now parked adjacent to the bus station. An engine shed was also situated here before being moved to the opposite side of the line near the end of the retaining wall, but it has since been replaced by the new Penzance TMD
outside the station at Long Rock
.
. Comparing the year from April 2008 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 64%.
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The station is the western terminus of the 305.25 miles (491 km) Cornish Main Line
Cornish Main Line
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :...
from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours.
Platforms 1, 2 and 3 are within the main train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
; Platform 4 on the south side is in the open air. A large stone at the end of this platform welcomes people to Penzance in two languages: English and Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. This side of the station is built on the sea wall near the harbour, the other side is cut into the hillside.
It is both the southernmost station on the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network and the westernmost station in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, although not Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
as some stations in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
are further west. The station is operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
as is every other station in Cornwall.
This is the Cornish terminus of the Night Riviera
Night Riviera
The Night Riviera is a sleeper train service operated by First Great Western. It is one of only two remaining sleeper services on the railway in Great Britain...
sleeper train to and from Paddington.
Bus station
A bus station is situated immediately outside the station entrance; this good example of transport integration arising from the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's operation of most of the early bus services in the area
GWR road motor services
The Great Western Railway road motor services operated from 1903 to 1933, both as a feeder to their train services, and as a cheaper alternative to building new railways in rural areas...
. History has come full circle, with the First Group again operating a large number of both the buses and trains in the area.
The Tourism Information Centre is located in the middle of the bus station.
There is also a bus service that connects the railway station with the Penzance Heliport
Penzance Heliport
Penzance Heliport is located northeast of Penzance, Cornwall. The heliport has scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly, which connect to the railway network at Penzance railway station by a special bus service...
, from which there are scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
.
History
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 11 March 1852 as the terminus of its line from Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
. This wooden station was replaced by the current buildings in 1879. Further alterations were made in 1937 and again in 1983 when new a ticket office and buffet were opened.
The arch that is blocked up in the wall that retains the hillside behind the platforms was used by the railway as a coal store. Freight traffic, especially the busy fish trade, was handled in a goods yard where the cars are now parked adjacent to the bus station. An engine shed was also situated here before being moved to the opposite side of the line near the end of the retaining wall, but it has since been replaced by the new Penzance TMD
Penzance TMD
Penzance TMD, also known as Long Rock TMD, is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in the village of Long Rock east of Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is the most westerly and southerly rail depot in the country. The depot operator is First Great Western...
outside the station at Long Rock
Long Rock
Long Rock is a village in southwest Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately one mile east of Penzance and 1½ miles west of Marazion in the civil parish of Ludgvan.Long Rock is effectively an eastern suburb of Penzance...
.
Passenger volume
Penzance is the second busiest station in Cornwall after TruroTruro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
. Comparing the year from April 2008 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers increased by 64%.
| 2002-03 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries | 199,282 | 205,025 | 210,998 | 235,377 | 253,881 | 323,269 | 260,491 |
| Exits | 192,726 | 197,974 | 202,907 | 226,387 | 244,409 | 323,269 | 260,491 |
| Interchanges | unknown | 2,132 | 748 | 699 | 354 | 49 | 200 |
| Total | |405,132 | |462,463 | |646,538 | Cornish Main Line Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :... which sees a mixture of local trains to Plymouth Plymouth railway station Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout... and longer distance services to London Paddington station, including the Night Riviera Night Riviera The Night Riviera is a sleeper train service operated by First Great Western. It is one of only two remaining sleeper services on the railway in Great Britain... 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 Cornish Riviera Express The Cornish Riviera Express is a British express passenger train that has run between London and Penzance in Cornwall since 1904. Introduced by the Great Western Railway, the name Cornish Riviera Express has been applied to the late morning express train from London Paddington station to Penzance... and the afternoon Royal Duchy. The general service is hourly eastbound. CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva... operate three daily services. These leave in the morning to , and , and three return in the evening from , and . One of the arrivals starts at 08:20 from which arrives at 21:50; at 13-and-a-half hours this is the longest direct rail journey in the United Kingdom. The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
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