Tarka Line
| Tarka Line | |
|---|---|
 |
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Crossing the Exe at Cowley Bridge
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| Overview | |
| Type | Community rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Open |
| Locale | Devon, England |
| Termini |
Exeter St Davids 50°43′45″N 3°32′38″W / 50.7291°N 3.5438°W Barnstaple 51°04′26″N 4°03′49″W / 51.0740°N 4.0635°W |
| Stations | 13 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1851-1854 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Great Western Railway |
| Depot(s) | Exeter TMD |
| Rolling stock | Class 143, 150 or 153 DMUs |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 39 mi (62.76 km) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Old gauge | 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge |
The Tarka Line (named after the animal hero in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter) is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route. At Coleford Junction there is a branch to Okehampton, which has recently reopened to passenger trains as the Dartmoor Railway.
Communities served: Exeter – Newton St. Cyres – Crediton – Yeoford – Copplestone – Morchard Bishop – Lapford – Eggesford – King's Nympton – Umberleigh – – Barnstaple
Parts of the line are single track, meaning that trains travelling in opposite directions must sometimes wait for each other. The full journey from Barnstaple to Exeter takes just over 1 hour, on-par with the journey time in a car.
Beyond Barnstaple, the railway used to continue to Ilfracombe or Instow and Bideford. Part of the latter route is preserved as the Bideford & Instow Railway, while sections of both routes have been reopened as cycleways (rail trails) called the Tarka Trail.
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