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The Avocet Line is the railway line from Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
 to Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon

'Exmouth' is a harbor town and seaside resort in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe. It has a population of 32,972 ....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth, Dorset....
. The line follows the Exe Estuary
Exe Estuary

The Exe Estuary is an estuary on the south coast of Devon, England.The estuary starts just to the south of the city of Exeter, and extends south for approximately eight miles to meet the English Channel ....
 for most of its route, giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the Pied Avocet
Pied Avocet

The Pied Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.Adults have white Feather except for a black cap and black patches in the wings and on the back....
, which live in the estuary.
towns and cities served are:

The route follows the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line

The West of England Main Line is a United Kingdom railway line, running from Waterloo station to Exeter St Davids railway station. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton railway station and Plymouth railway station, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic....
 in the suburbs of Exeter before diverging to the south.

There is a ferry
Ferry

A ferry is a form of transport, usually a boat or ship, used to carry passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries are also used to transport freight and even railroad cars....
 service from Exmouth harbour to Starcross railway station
Starcross railway station

Starcross railway station is a small station on the London to Penzance Line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is on the shore of the River Exe estuary and is linked to a pier used by the ferry to Exmouth, Devon on the other side of the estuary....
 on the opposite shore of the River Exe
River Exe

The River Exe in England source near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon....
.
many years the passenger services on the line have been provided by Wessex Trains
Wessex Trains

Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester, Worcestershire and Brighton....
, and since 2006 by First Great Western
First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a United Kingdom List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
, using Class 150
British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 British Rail brand names diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs....
 or Class 153
British Rail Class 153

The British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter " is a single-car diesel multiple unit train....
 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines....
s either singly or in multiple.






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The Avocet Line is the railway line from Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
 to Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon

'Exmouth' is a harbor town and seaside resort in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe. It has a population of 32,972 ....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth, Dorset....
. The line follows the Exe Estuary
Exe Estuary

The Exe Estuary is an estuary on the south coast of Devon, England.The estuary starts just to the south of the city of Exeter, and extends south for approximately eight miles to meet the English Channel ....
 for most of its route, giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the Pied Avocet
Pied Avocet

The Pied Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.Adults have white Feather except for a black cap and black patches in the wings and on the back....
, which live in the estuary.

Route

The towns and cities served are:
  • Exeter
    Exeter

    Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
  • Digby
    Digby, Devon

    Digby was once a small village on the eastern edge of the city of Exeter in Devon, England. Between 1886 and 1987 it was the location of Exeter Borough Asylum known as Digby Hospital....
  • Sowton
    Sowton

    Sowton is a village and civil parish east of Exeter in Devon, England.Sowton is also the name of an industrial estate. The area is located next to the M5 motorway between junctions 29 and 30, and is served by the Digby and Sowton railway station....
  • Topsham
    Topsham, Devon

    Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe estuary between Exeter and Exmouth, Devon. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, it was designated a town by a 1300 royal charter, until the Exeter urban district was formed....
  • Exton
  • Lympstone
    Lympstone

    Lympstone is a village and civil parish in England county of Devon. It has a harbour on the estuary of the River Exe, lying at the outlet of Wotton Brook between cliffs of red breccia....
  • Exmouth
    Exmouth, Devon

    'Exmouth' is a harbor town and seaside resort in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe. It has a population of 32,972 ....


The route follows the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line

The West of England Main Line is a United Kingdom railway line, running from Waterloo station to Exeter St Davids railway station. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton railway station and Plymouth railway station, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic....
 in the suburbs of Exeter before diverging to the south.

There is a ferry
Ferry

A ferry is a form of transport, usually a boat or ship, used to carry passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries are also used to transport freight and even railroad cars....
 service from Exmouth harbour to Starcross railway station
Starcross railway station

Starcross railway station is a small station on the London to Penzance Line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England. It is on the shore of the River Exe estuary and is linked to a pier used by the ferry to Exmouth, Devon on the other side of the estuary....
 on the opposite shore of the River Exe
River Exe

The River Exe in England source near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon....
.

Services

For many years the passenger services on the line have been provided by Wessex Trains
Wessex Trains

Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester, Worcestershire and Brighton....
, and since 2006 by First Great Western
First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a United Kingdom List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
, using Class 150
British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 British Rail brand names diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs....
 or Class 153
British Rail Class 153

The British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter " is a single-car diesel multiple unit train....
 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines....
s either singly or in multiple. However, from December 2007 First Great Western introduced Class 142 'Pacers'
British Rail Class 142

The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby Carriage and Wagon Works between 1985 and 1987....
 and more recently, Class 143 'Pacers'
British Rail Class 143

The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple unit, part of the Pacer family of trains introduced between 1985 & 1986. They originally worked in the North-East of England but were later transferred to Wales and South-West England....
 to release other DMU
DMU

DMU may stand for:* Decision making unit, in business-to-business sales and marketing * De Montfort University located in the city of Leicester, England...
s for refurbishment.

The section in Exeter is shared with South West Trains
South West Trains

South West Trains is a List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight ....
 West of England
West of England Main Line

The West of England Main Line is a United Kingdom railway line, running from Waterloo station to Exeter St Davids railway station. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton railway station and Plymouth railway station, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic....
 services to London Waterloo
Waterloo station

London Waterloo is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is in the London Borough of Lambeth near the South Bank, in Travelcard Zone 1, and houses a British Transport Police station....
 as far as Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction

Exmouth Junction is the point at which the Exmouth line diverges from the main West of England Main Line between London Waterloo and Exeter. It was also the location for one of the largest Engine Sheds in the former London and South Western Railway....
 (between St James Park and Polsloe Bridge). The daytime frequency is a train every 30 mins, although trains only stop once an hour at Polsloe Bridge, St James Park, Exton and Lympstone Commando. The latter two stations are request stop
Request stop

In public transport, a request stop or flag stop describes a stopping point at which trains or buses stop only on an as-needed basis; that is, only if there are passengers to be picked up or dropped off....
s.

Passenger volume

The busiest station on the branch is Exmouth, which is the fifth busiest in Devon. The number of passengers arriving and departing this station has been in decline, while the numbers using Digby & Sowton and Topsham are increasing considerably. Comparing the year from April 2006 to that which started in April 2002, passenger numbers at these stations have increased by 68% and 48% respectively.
 2002-032004-052005-062006-07
St James Park27,23327,47727,42831,716
Polsloe Bridge45,87943,78843,77351,264
Digby & Sowton120,505134,804155,822201,954
Topsham105,717127,903138,905156,153
Exton12,05910,58310,25511,505
Lympstone Commando70,94055,87562,14164,024
Lympstone Village64,36163,32566,73970,890
Exmouth735,674623,832611,451677,036
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.