Hello Paul. Another lovely interesting video. A proper public information film. Access by train is a superb idea for the industrial park and riverside park. Easy to get there too
Thank you Michael! Yes, it works out cheaper than using the council's car park too! About £2.30 return (without a railcard) from the City Centre on the train. I forgot to mention that! Lovely to hear from you. Take care, Paul.
This is a really good video Paul! So informative about the new station. Really good to see that you can get off it and walk in the countryside minutes later.
Thank you Louise! Yes, it is such a great thing to be able to catch the train from the City Centre in Exeter, and within moments you are whizzed off into the countryside, and the river + canal too. Always good to see new stations opening as well. Thanks again, Paul.
Great video Paul. I regularly catch the train from Newton Abbot to Starcross and then walk the Exe Estuary trail into Exeter. This now gives the option of finishing the walk at the country park and returning to Newton Abbot if I don’t need to go into Exeter. The footbridge is a new addition and I believe the bridge over the canal was also recently replaced. Google maps, satellite view, still shows the early stage of the build and Street View on the road bridge shows a time before constuction began so you can see what it was like back then.
Thank you Richard! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I did think that this new station will be useful for many. Glad to hear that it will benefit you too. Ah, thanks for the information regarding the new footbridge - I would have imagined walking across the roadbridge to be hazarous as it is so narrow. The Country Park there is indeed lovely and a useful addition in terms of accesability for people local to this part of South & East Devon. Cheers, Paul
Thank you 😊 Yes, it is a very convenient stop if you want a stroll by the river or the canal. Good to see stations reopening. Thanks for watching and stopping by. Cheers, Paul. 👍🙂
Thank you Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. Although the station itself is not the most scenic, any new station is a positive thing, I feel. The Country Park next to it and the landscaping around it is to be commended and very well thought out. Take care, Paul
So many new stations opening up lately - I know there's a couple more being built in my area with several more being planned. Great to see this station provides access to the countryside 🙂 Guessing you've already seen Geoff Marshall's channel and All The Stations - fascinating hearing about different railway stations.
Hi Jesse, Yes, as well as Portway P&R, I see that they are cracking on with the new station just near Lawrence Hill and Filton Abbey Wood in Bristol. I remember Geoff & Vicki's tour of 'All The Stations' very well! It was brilliant - unbeliveably, it was over 5 years ago now. I didn't watch any UA-cam videos about Marsh Barton Station beforehand though, as I wanted to do my own take on it. I wasn't able to get here nearer the opening date due to other commitments. Thanks so much! Cheers, Paul
Always good to see new stations opening, especially where they make connections with our work and leisure activities - though I think Marsh Barton deserves a more frequent service.
Thank you Malcolm! I think the issue with not making it more frequent than 1tph is the pathing issue, as it is only a two track line (it really should be four tracks to Newton Abbot, but obviously that is not possible, with the sea wall and the tunnels). It is an incredibly busy line. The only passing loops are at Dawlish Warren. They wanted to reopen Exminster Station too (as there is a lot of new housing there) but it had to be an either/or, but not both, unfortunately. I was most impressed with the landscaping done here, and with the country park itself. Thanks so much! Take care, Paul
Thanks for this. The scheme is a great achievement and shows what can happen where councils have a positive attitude to rail transport. Adding this station brought a public safety benefit too; closure of the nearby Alphington footpath level crossing where there had been several 'near miss' and trespass incidents.
Thank you for comment - I wasn't aware of the pedestrian crossing closure nearby - an added benefit then. Following on from Portway P&R last year, there will be another station opening in my patch soon - Ashley Down - platforms and lifts all complete now, just front of house landscaping to go. Hopefully Brabazon, North Filton, Portishead and Torquay Hospital Stations will follow too! I think work has started on the 2nd loop on the Newquay line for the Cornwall Metro as well now. Cheers, Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Tregoss Moor loop plus the reopened pl1 at NQY expected to be open for May 2025. New station coming soon is Okehampton West Devon Transport Hub Interchange Parkway or whatever they've now decided to call it.
@@ChangesOneTim Yes, I will definitely cover Okehampton Part 2 too! The name keeps changing, as you say. It will be a very useful hub for motorists living in both West Devon and Mid East Cornwall, as road access into current Okehampton Station isn't ideal going through the town centre and up the hill. Lots of others that may happen in the region too, like Corsham and Charfield. I remember when Platform One was open at NQY, and it having to close in the early 1980s as it was falling apart.
@@westcountrywanderings Much of NQY P1 was taken out of use some years prior and latterly used only by the short DMUs. Corsham always raises the old chestnut of "okay, but what will stop there?" Its best chance was adding calls in the short-lived Oxford-Bristols during the Noughties (also best chance of reopening Wantage Rd). Charfield is at least on WECA's radar, as a stop in half-hourly Bristol-Gloucesters.
Hi Paul, Well thats a change to see a new station, it looks really well thought out as well .... the only thing missing was some broad gauge straining posts😂😂😂. I didn't know Exeter was so well served by the railway!! This one looks so well placed for the industrial estate, the nature park and canal. We used the train in and out of London recently and were lucky enough to be unaffected by the strikes, was very impressed with the service. Did find buying tube tickets a bit confusing but one of the men at gates pointed us in the right direction. Look forward to seeing more of the canal in the video that you have now posted. Have a great week
Thank you David. Yes, it is quite incredible that Exeter now has 11 stations, including 2 major ones, and two seperate main routes to London. The railways in and around London though are on a whole different level though, especially with the density and frequency of service, and the number of places served with stations. Beeching hardly closed any lines in Greater London, and that network has been added to recently with The Elizabeth Line plus others on the London Overground network. Thanks so much! Hope you are having a great week too. Take care, Paul
Hello Paul. Wonderful video on the growth of the rail system in the UK. The way it is blended into city, urban and country seems to be well thought out. Thank you👍
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I like to cover new stations here on my channel, as well as the heritage lines, like the West Somerset Railway, and my Lost Railway Walks too. It is positive to see new stations opening, and this one looks well thought out and landscaped too. Cheers, Paul
Not being familiar with Exeter (except the centre) I can't possibly comment on whether this station was needed or not but the concept seems sound Up here in Bristol there seems to be much positive progress in bringing the mothballed Henbury branch back into use in line with the Brabazon development at Filton although the Portishead reopening frustratingly still seems far-off Torbay's MP is pushing for a Park & Ride at Goodrington Sands utilising the vast underused Quay West car park which would also be an interchange with the DSR which runs alongside
Good to report Stephen that it did appear to be well used when I was there - although it could be a bit of the 'novelty factor'. Railways around Exeter are are very well used - Exeter has an extremely high student population, as well as a lot of tourism in and around the area (Dawlish/Teignmouth/Topsham/Exmouth, etc). Yes, I was very pleased to hear that the current freight only Henbury Loop will become passenger served once again, although, it does unfortunately means more housing in Filton in South Gloucestershire. Shame to hear the Portishead reopening (which should be relatively easy to do, along the lines of what happened at Okehampton, which has been a huge success) has been delayed, for reasons that I do not fully understand. I am not sure how feasible the Goodrington P&R is. I am very dissapointed with the so called 'Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway' at the moment by making the lovely Churston Station another disused station, along with Greenway Halt, which I have used in past to visit Greenway House and Gardens (Agatha Christie). I am now no longer likely to patronise either. Many volunteers raised funds and worked hard to get those two stations up and running. Unlikely that the P&DSR will be very co-operative at all, though, of course, Network Rail own the former carriage sidings there. Parking will be an issue, as the car park there is already at capacity, and I can't see where there is to expand it. On a more positive note, there is likely to be a new footpath and cyclepath from Churston to Brixham, following the route of the old branch. I do hope to explore that soon. Thanks Stephen! Kind Regards, Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Yes Churston used to be lovely Junction station, however that all changed when the DVR company moved all their workshops down from Buckfastleigh (following the leasing of the Dart Valley line to the DVRA) which completely changed the character of the place Nowadays it's completely cluttered with the RoundRobin buses when not in use Take a look at the opening of the 'The System' from 1964 which shows a trip from here to Brixham (via the Dawlish seawall 🤔) to see what it was once like 👍
@@stephenchappell7512 I agree! The workshops there are not asthetically pleasing or in keeping with what the line was originally like. I am not sure what the plans are now for the mothballed station buildings and platforms.
It is so good to see a new station opening especially next to that lovely wildlife park. I do wish they weren’t so soulless. The seats look very uncomfortable & not fit for purpose- I suppose they don’t want people sleeping there, no amenities- everything is the bare minimum. I realise it all costs money & it is a compromise but you only have to translate yourself to the WSR platforms with its hanging baskets, station staff,amenities etc to see the contrast. It was if it was made for robots not people. So mixed feelings about it. Thanks Paul.
Well-done Diana for your alternative viewpoint 👍 Yes I agree that station's today are less passenger friendly with even the smallest of station's of yesteryear having not only a ticket office (Booking hall) but also a waiting room and toilets for both genders (there is only 2 🙄) Nowadays even the ticket offices are under threat as part of the 'governments' cashless agenda, hence the strikes (these being less about rail workers 'greedy pay demands', whatever the collaborative media might imply)
Hi Diana! Thank you so much for watching and your comment. Yes, I am with you with regards to the WSR and Network Rail/GWR new stations. The issue is, of course, is that this is an unstaffed station, but the WSR has lots of volunteers to look after their lovely stations. Maybe a local volunteer group will come forward to plant hanging baskets, etc? My local is station is very fortunate to have exactly that - it is an off shoot of the town's 'Britain in Bloom' team. It makes such a great first impression of the town for the very many people arriving here by train. I do like to see new stations opened though, regardless of how they look, as that potentially means less dreadful cars on our chocked, congestion and dangerous roads, and our climate change riddled environment, with the ongoing overheating and fires that we are seeing across the world right now. The riverside park is indeed lovely, as not only is there nature, but, a canal (video of that, including a boat trip on it, coming soon) and the River Exe too. Thanks so much! Take care, Paul
Thank you Stephen for your reply. I thought my opinion might not be very popular so was a pleasant surprise to read your thoughts. We are not allowed to voice political opinions & unfortunately this does stray that way. I like to think I am apolitical but wonder why we accept these conditions as standard & don’t protest.
@@dianarolph1770 Unfortunately this is nothing new as history shows most people have always left the fighting to others being content to go 'with the flow' however I'm encouraged from reading other people's comments (like yourself) to see that there are enough of us out there to cause a real headache to 'the powers that shouldn't be' 👍
Hello Paul.
Another lovely interesting video. A proper public information film. Access by train is a superb idea for the industrial park and riverside park. Easy to get there too
Thank you Michael!
Yes, it works out cheaper than using the council's car park too! About £2.30 return (without a railcard) from the City Centre on the train. I forgot to mention that!
Lovely to hear from you.
Take care,
Paul.
This is a really good video Paul! So informative about the new station. Really good to see that you can get off it and walk in the countryside minutes later.
Thank you Louise! Yes, it is such a great thing to be able to catch the train from the City Centre in Exeter, and within moments you are whizzed off into the countryside, and the river + canal too. Always good to see new stations opening as well. Thanks again, Paul.
Great video Paul. I regularly catch the train from Newton Abbot to Starcross and then walk the Exe Estuary trail into Exeter. This now gives the option of finishing the walk at the country park and returning to Newton Abbot if I don’t need to go into Exeter. The footbridge is a new addition and I believe the bridge over the canal was also recently replaced. Google maps, satellite view, still shows the early stage of the build and Street View on the road bridge shows a time before constuction began so you can see what it was like back then.
Thank you Richard!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, I did think that this new station will be useful for many.
Glad to hear that it will benefit you too.
Ah, thanks for the information regarding the new footbridge - I would have imagined walking across the roadbridge to be hazarous as it is so narrow.
The Country Park there is indeed lovely and a useful addition in terms of accesability for people local to this part of South & East Devon.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul another nice railway video 👌👌👌
Thank you Roy! Yes, it is a very useful station for people visiting the riverside park.Hope you are having a good week! Paul.
Great to see this new station , looks so pretty. And also so beautiful surrounding area. Wonderful tour Paul, wishing you a blessed day❤️👍👍
Thank you 😊 Yes, it is a very convenient stop if you want a stroll by the river or the canal. Good to see stations reopening. Thanks for watching and stopping by. Cheers, Paul. 👍🙂
It's nice to see new stations popping up. Another nice video Paul. Thankyou
Thank you Michael!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Although the station itself is not the most scenic, any new station is a positive thing, I feel.
The Country Park next to it and the landscaping around it is to be commended and very well thought out.
Take care,
Paul
So many new stations opening up lately - I know there's a couple more being built in my area with several more being planned.
Great to see this station provides access to the countryside 🙂
Guessing you've already seen Geoff Marshall's channel and All The Stations - fascinating hearing about different railway stations.
Hi Jesse,
Yes, as well as Portway P&R, I see that they are cracking on with the new station just near Lawrence Hill and Filton Abbey Wood in Bristol.
I remember Geoff & Vicki's tour of 'All The Stations' very well! It was brilliant - unbeliveably, it was over 5 years ago now.
I didn't watch any UA-cam videos about Marsh Barton Station beforehand though, as I wanted to do my own take on it. I wasn't able to get here nearer the opening date due to other commitments.
Thanks so much!
Cheers,
Paul
What a super new station, looks to have been well planned. The access to the Riverside Valley Park is excellent.
Thank you Faith!
Yes, it looks to be well thought out and planned, and used too, judging by my visit.
Thanks so much,
Take care,
Paul
Always good to see new stations opening, especially where they make connections with our work and leisure activities - though I think Marsh Barton deserves a more frequent service.
Thank you Malcolm!
I think the issue with not making it more frequent than 1tph is the pathing issue, as it is only a two track line (it really should be four tracks to Newton Abbot, but obviously that is not possible, with the sea wall and the tunnels). It is an incredibly busy line. The only passing loops are at Dawlish Warren.
They wanted to reopen Exminster Station too (as there is a lot of new housing there) but it had to be an either/or, but not both, unfortunately.
I was most impressed with the landscaping done here, and with the country park itself.
Thanks so much!
Take care,
Paul
Thanks for this. The scheme is a great achievement and shows what can happen where councils have a positive attitude to rail transport. Adding this station brought a public safety benefit too; closure of the nearby Alphington footpath level crossing where there had been several 'near miss' and trespass incidents.
Thank you for comment - I wasn't aware of the pedestrian crossing closure nearby - an added benefit then.
Following on from Portway P&R last year, there will be another station opening in my patch soon - Ashley Down - platforms and lifts all complete now, just front of house landscaping to go.
Hopefully Brabazon, North Filton, Portishead and Torquay Hospital Stations will follow too! I think work has started on the 2nd loop on the Newquay line for the Cornwall Metro as well now.
Cheers,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings
Tregoss Moor loop plus the reopened pl1 at NQY expected to be open for May 2025. New station coming soon is Okehampton West Devon Transport Hub Interchange Parkway or whatever they've now decided to call it.
@@ChangesOneTim Yes, I will definitely cover Okehampton Part 2 too! The name keeps changing, as you say. It will be a very useful hub for motorists living in both West Devon and Mid East Cornwall, as road access into current Okehampton Station isn't ideal going through the town centre and up the hill. Lots of others that may happen in the region too, like Corsham and Charfield. I remember when Platform One was open at NQY, and it having to close in the early 1980s as it was falling apart.
@@westcountrywanderings
Much of NQY P1 was taken out of use some years prior and latterly used only by the short DMUs.
Corsham always raises the old chestnut of "okay, but what will stop there?" Its best chance was adding calls in the short-lived Oxford-Bristols during the Noughties (also best chance of reopening Wantage Rd). Charfield is at least on WECA's radar, as a stop in half-hourly Bristol-Gloucesters.
Hi Paul,
Well thats a change to see a new station, it looks really well thought out as well .... the only thing missing was some broad gauge straining posts😂😂😂.
I didn't know Exeter was so well served by the railway!! This one looks so well placed for the industrial estate, the nature park and canal.
We used the train in and out of London recently and were lucky enough to be unaffected by the strikes, was very impressed with the service. Did find buying tube tickets a bit confusing but one of the men at gates pointed us in the right direction.
Look forward to seeing more of the canal in the video that you have now posted. Have a great week
Thank you David.
Yes, it is quite incredible that Exeter now has 11 stations, including 2 major ones, and two seperate main routes to London.
The railways in and around London though are on a whole different level though, especially with the density and frequency of service, and the number of places served with stations. Beeching hardly closed any lines in Greater London, and that network has been added to recently with The Elizabeth Line plus others on the London Overground network.
Thanks so much!
Hope you are having a great week too.
Take care,
Paul
Hello Paul. Wonderful video on the growth of the rail system in the UK. The way it is blended into city, urban and country seems to be well thought out. Thank you👍
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I like to cover new stations here on my channel, as well as the heritage lines, like the West Somerset Railway, and my Lost Railway Walks too.
It is positive to see new stations opening, and this one looks well thought out and landscaped too.
Cheers,
Paul
Not being familiar with Exeter (except the centre) I can't possibly comment on whether this station was needed or not but the concept seems sound
Up here in Bristol there seems to be much positive progress in bringing the mothballed Henbury branch back into use in line with the Brabazon development at Filton although the Portishead reopening frustratingly still seems far-off
Torbay's MP is pushing for a Park & Ride at Goodrington Sands utilising the vast underused Quay West car park which would also be an interchange with the DSR which runs alongside
Good to report Stephen that it did appear to be well used when I was there - although it could be a bit of the 'novelty factor'. Railways around Exeter are are very well used - Exeter has an extremely high student population, as well as a lot of tourism in and around the area (Dawlish/Teignmouth/Topsham/Exmouth, etc).
Yes, I was very pleased to hear that the current freight only Henbury Loop will become passenger served once again, although, it does unfortunately means more housing in Filton in South Gloucestershire. Shame to hear the Portishead reopening (which should be relatively easy to do, along the lines of what happened at Okehampton, which has been a huge success) has been delayed, for reasons that I do not fully understand.
I am not sure how feasible the Goodrington P&R is. I am very dissapointed with the so called 'Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway' at the moment by making the lovely Churston Station another disused station, along with Greenway Halt, which I have used in past to visit Greenway House and Gardens (Agatha Christie). I am now no longer likely to patronise either. Many volunteers raised funds and worked hard to get those two stations up and running. Unlikely that the P&DSR will be very co-operative at all, though, of course, Network Rail own the former carriage sidings there. Parking will be an issue, as the car park there is already at capacity, and I can't see where there is to expand it.
On a more positive note, there is likely to be a new footpath and cyclepath from Churston to Brixham, following the route of the old branch. I do hope to explore that soon.
Thanks Stephen!
Kind Regards,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings
Yes Churston used to be lovely Junction station, however that all changed when the DVR company moved all their workshops down from Buckfastleigh (following the leasing of the Dart Valley line to the DVRA) which completely changed the character of the place
Nowadays it's completely cluttered with the RoundRobin buses when not in use
Take a look at the opening of the 'The System' from 1964 which shows a trip from here to Brixham (via the Dawlish seawall 🤔) to see what it was once like 👍
@@stephenchappell7512 I agree! The workshops there are not asthetically pleasing or in keeping with what the line was originally like. I am not sure what the plans are now for the mothballed station buildings and platforms.
It is so good to see a new station opening especially next to that lovely wildlife park. I do wish they weren’t so soulless. The seats look very uncomfortable & not fit for purpose- I suppose they don’t want people sleeping there, no amenities- everything is the bare minimum. I realise it all costs money & it is a compromise but you only have to translate yourself to the WSR platforms with its hanging baskets, station staff,amenities etc to see the contrast. It was if it was made for robots not people. So mixed feelings about it. Thanks Paul.
Well-done Diana for your alternative viewpoint 👍 Yes I agree that station's today are less passenger friendly with even the smallest of station's of yesteryear having not only a ticket office (Booking hall) but also a waiting room and toilets for both genders (there is only 2 🙄) Nowadays even the ticket offices are under threat as part of the 'governments' cashless agenda, hence the strikes (these being less about rail workers 'greedy pay demands', whatever the collaborative media might imply)
Hi Diana!
Thank you so much for watching and your comment.
Yes, I am with you with regards to the WSR and Network Rail/GWR new stations.
The issue is, of course, is that this is an unstaffed station, but the WSR has lots of volunteers to look after their lovely stations. Maybe a local volunteer group will come forward to plant hanging baskets, etc? My local is station is very fortunate to have exactly that - it is an off shoot of the town's 'Britain in Bloom' team. It makes such a great first impression of the town for the very many people arriving here by train.
I do like to see new stations opened though, regardless of how they look, as that potentially means less dreadful cars on our chocked, congestion and dangerous roads, and our climate change riddled environment, with the ongoing overheating and fires that we are seeing across the world right now.
The riverside park is indeed lovely, as not only is there nature, but, a canal (video of that, including a boat trip on it, coming soon) and the River Exe too.
Thanks so much!
Take care,
Paul
Thank you Stephen for your reply. I thought my opinion might not be very popular so was a pleasant surprise to read your thoughts. We are not allowed to voice political opinions & unfortunately this does stray that way. I like to think I am apolitical but wonder why we accept these conditions as standard & don’t protest.
Thanks Paul. Glad there is a video coming re the nature reserve!
@@dianarolph1770
Unfortunately this is nothing new as history shows most people have always left the fighting to others being content to go 'with the flow' however I'm encouraged from reading other people's comments (like yourself) to see that there are enough of us out there to cause a real headache to 'the powers that shouldn't be' 👍