Place St Germans Grid reference SX360574 Managed by Great Western Railway | Local authority Station code SGM Number of platforms 2 | |
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St Germans railway station serves the village of St Germans in Cornwall, UK. The station is managed and operated only by Great Western Railway and is situated on the Cornish Main Line 10 miles 33 chains (16.8 km) from the line's northern terminus of Plymouth. The station is situated just west of the St Germans Viaduct.
Contents
Description
Both platforms have step-free entrances. The platform nearest St Germans Quay is served by trains to Liskeard (and ultimately Penzance). The other platform is used for trains towards Plymouth.
History
The station opened with the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859. It was described at the time as "of ornamental design ... conveniently situated close to the town, and consists of arrival, departure, and goods stations, all three being constructed of stone".
A fatal accident occurred near St Germans just two days after the opening of the railway. On 6 May 1859. The engine of the 7.25 p.m. train from Plymouth was approaching St Germans when it left the rails, hit the parapet of the wooden viaduct across Grove Creek and fell 38 feet into the mud below, landing upside down. Two of the coaches also ended up in the creek. The driver, fireman, and one guard were killed. A second guard, Richard Paddon, was given a reward of five pounds for his part in keeping the remainder of the train on the viaduct and helping to rescue the survivors.
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 which was in turn privatised in the 1990s.
In 1973 a signal panel was located in the old station buildings on the platform served by trains to Penzance, although this has since closed. The other building is private accommodation but a camping coach in the old sidings can be rented for holidays.
Services
St Germans is served by about half the trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth, including a few that run through to London Paddington station.