Station code PRW DfT category F2 Opened 1863 | Grid reference SW780398 2011/12 27,030 Number of platforms 1 | |
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Similar Truro railway station, Penryn railway station, Redruth railway station, Penmere railway station, Falmouth Docks railway st | ||
Perranwell station is on the Maritime Line from Truro to Falmouth Docks in England. The station is managed by, and the services are operated by, Great Western Railway.
Contents
History
The station was opened with the Cornwall Railway Falmouth extension on 24 August 1863. It was called Perran until it was renamed Perranwell on 19 February 1864 to avoid confusion with nearby Penryn.
The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on 1 July 1889. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 but was then privatised in the 1990s.
The goods shed still stands in the forecourt despite goods traffic ceasing on 4 January 1965. A dry drinking fountain can be seen on the platform, a reminder of more important days. The signal box here was very distinctive, being sited on girders above the track alongside the goods shed.
A short distance on either side of the station, valleys had to be crossed on lofty timber viaducts. To the north, Carnon viaduct crossed 96 feet above the Carnon River valley and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway. In the other direction, trains crossed the smaller Perran Viaduct (56 feet high, 339 feet long).
In the 1980s the station had become run down with only a small aluminium shelter with polycarbonate panels offering protection for passengers. However, during the late 1990s a new brick waiting shelter was built as part of a refurbishment programme at all the "Maritime Line" stations.
Description
There is just one platform with level access from the car park. Trains towards Truro run from left to right; trains towards Falmouth Docks run from right to left.
Services
The new loop at Penryn allowed services on the Maritime Line to be doubled in frequency from 17 May 2009, however only about half the trains are now scheduled to call at Perranwell. These only stop on request, which means that people alighting need to inform the train's guard, and those joining at the station need to signal clearly to the driver.