Redruth railway station

First station

Located at 50.23157°N 5.23255°W / 50.23157; -5.23255

The Hayle Railway opened a station on the west side of Redruth on 31 May 1838. The railway had been built to move goods to and from local mines and the harbours at Hayle and Portreath. A passenger service started on 26 May 1843; nearly 200 people travelled on the first train from Redruth to Hayle.

Second station

The West Cornwall Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament passed on 3 August 1846 to take over the Hayle Railway and extend its line westwards to Penzance, and eastward to Truro. It took possession of the Hayle line on 3 November 1846 and set about rebuilding it. A viaduct was built 61 feet (19 m) above the streets of Redruth and a new station was opened at the east end of this on 11 March 1852. On 25 August 1852 the line was continued through a short tunnel at the east end of Redruth station and on to a temporary station at Truro Highertown, and was completed to a station at Newham Wharf in 1855. The present day station at Truro was reached in 1859 but through trains over the Cornwall Railway could not start until 1867 due to the two railways being built to different gauges. The main station buildings were replaced by the Great Western Railway in the 1930s but the wooden shelter on the westbound platform survives and the footbridge is marked as being erected in 1888.

The original 489 feet (149 m) viaduct was built in timber to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but it was replaced in 1888 by a masonry structure. The line had until now been just a single track with a passing loop in the station, but the new viaduct was wide enough for two tracks once the 7 ft (2,134 mm) gauge rail was no longer required following the abandonment of broad gauge services in 1892. The second line was brought into use in February 1894; a second line was laid eastwards from the station in 1911.

The original Hayle Railway station became a goods depot when the new station opened, access to it being controlled by 'Redruth Junction' signal box which also controlled access to the goods branch line to Tresavean mine. Goods sidings were also provided on both sides of the line at the new station, with a large goods shed on the north side of the line. A new goods depot was opened at Drump Lane, east of the tunnel, in 1912.

Description

The station is on the side of a hill with the road climbing steeply from beneath the viaduct at the west end of the station, to climb over the tunnel at the east end. Where the road and railway are on the same level is the entrance to the station. The main offices are on the eastbound platform and a footbridge to the westbound platform spans the tracks near the entrance. There is step-free access to this platform from an approach road on that side of the line.

Buses call at the main entrance to the eastbound platform. A car park is also on this side of the station between the main building and the viaduct on the site formerly occupied by the goods shed.

Services

Redruth is served by all Great Western Railway trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth with one train per hour in each direction. Some trains run through to or from London Paddington station, including the Night Riviera overnight sleeping car service and the mid-morning Cornish Riviera. There are a limited number of CrossCountry trains providing a service to Glasgow Central or Manchester Piccadilly in the morning and returning in the evening.