Train campaign

The train (not) stopping at platform 1

You’ve hopped on the train to go to a meeting in Exeter. You’ve parked right next to the platform and checked that your return train also stops there - what can go wrong? If the station concerned is Kings Nympton, if you are delayed and miss your return train, there’s no guarantee the next one will stop at the station where you left your car.

Now, the four parish councils that feed into Kings Nympton Station have started a co-ordinated campaign to get all trains to stop there on request. “Almost everyone makes the same point,” says Kings Nympton councillor Martin Pailthorpe. “It makes no sense to drive to Eggesford or Umberleigh to park, involving an extra round trip of up to 15 miles, when doing so means driving past a perfectly good station with plenty of designated parking.”

A Facebook group ‘Friends of Kingsnympton Station’ has already gathered almost 150 members. “I live so close to Kings Nympton station but have to drive to Eggesford to commute to Exeter,” said Lisa Tate. The group wants more people to share their local train travel stories.

“I’m horrified to see the amount of roadside parking at Eggesford with no decent car parking available. Surely making smaller stations like Kings Nympton more accessible to the travelling public would alleviate this,” added Ian Blewett. There’s been a railway station at Kings Nympton since 1854, now campaigners are calling for a service that’s fit for 21st century travel.

A spokesman for GWR who operate the Tarka Line service said, “We always work with our local communities to see what improvements can be made for rail users.”

“Unfortunately, at this stage without significant enhancement to the infrastructure or affecting performance of the existing hourly services, we are not able to add more request stops.”

You can catch a train from Kings Nympton, but you might not get back - photo by Martin Pailthorpe

“We continue to work with partners through the Northern Devon Railway Development Alliance to develop the case for longer term upgrades to the route,” the spokesman added. GWR says demand on the line is at an all-time high with more than 750,000 journeys made last year, mostly between Barnstaple and Exeter, but only “two or three” daily at Kings Nympton.