Place Bideford Platforms 2 10 June 1872 resited | Area Torridge 2 November 1855 Opened | |
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Pre-grouping London and South Western Railway | ||
The first Bideford railway station was opened on 2 November 1855 as the terminus of the Bideford Extension Railway from Barnstaple. This was taken over by the London and South Western Railway about ten years later.
This station was resited in 1872 when the line was extended to Torrington.
Regular passenger trains from Barnstaple were withdrawn on Sat. 2 October 1965 although special trains occasionally used the station until the line was closed in 1982. After closure a railway preservation society was formed to reopen the station and part of the line. They laid over 200 yards of track in the station and collected some rolling stock and a small diesel locomotive. A train service was operated but they were then forced to close temporarily due to vandalism and a threat to build houses on the trackbed. The site is open to the public and is currently being prepared for service again. See Bideford Railway Heritage Centre.
The station buildings are privately owned and are currently empty awaiting a new use.
Recently, the station was included on the ATOC Connecting Communities report, that recommends closed lines and stations that should have a railway station. The report suggests the reopening of the Barnstaple - Bideford railway line.