Lapford railway station

Lapford
As it was in 2006
Location
Place	Lapford
Local authority	Mid Devon
Coordinates	50°51′27″N 3°48′39″W / 50.8575°N 3.8108°WCoordinates: 50°51′27″N 3°48′39″W / 50.8575°N 3.8108°W
Grid reference	SS726079
Operations
Station code	LAP
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03	4,912
2004/05	2,104
2005/06	1,658
2006/07	2,208
2007/08	1,967
2008/09	2,058
2009/10	1,878
2010/11	2,374
2011/12	2,062
2012/13	1,796
2013/14	2,354
2014/15	2,704
History
Original company	North Devon Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Opened	1854
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Lapford from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Lapford railway station is a rural station on the Tarka Line in Devon, England, serving the village of Lapford. It is served by trains between Barnstaple and Exeter.

History

Lapford in 1913.

Lapford in 1969.

The station was opened by the North Devon Railway on 1 August 1854.^[1] In its outset, it only had the one platform, and goods sidings including the Ambrosia factory. After a time, a second (northbound) platform was added, but due to space constraints was sited on the other side of the A377 road bridge. A small booking office was located on the platform, but was only occupied during the few minutes prior to a train's arrival. In 1990 the goods yard was the destination of a weekly fertilizer train.^[2] Although this platform has been removed, the loop was still in place but disused. By June 2012 the loop had been removed and the track "plain lined".

A bridge over a river to the south of the station shows that many structures were built for dual lines, but between Copplestone and Umberleigh the line has always been single track and these structures have never been used.

Services

Four trains a day in each direction stop at Lapford, five on Fridays northbound and four on Sundays on the Barnstaple to Exmouth. However it is a request stop – meaning that passengers alighting here must tell the conductor that they wish to do so, and those waiting to join must signal clearly to the driver as the train approaches. Trains connect with main line services at Exeter St Davids.

Community railway

The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Tarka Line" name.

A pub at Lapford has been included in the Tarka Line rail ale trail.

References

1. Nicholas, John (1992). The North Devon Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-461-6.
2. Mitchell, David (1994). British Railways Past and Present - Devon. Peterborough: Past and Present Publishing. ISBN 1-85895-058-9. p. 66