Exeter St Davids

Exeter St Davids (Station code EXD)

The station, which is the busiest in Devon, opened on May 1st 1844 as the terminus of the Bristol and Exeter Railway. The guests from London for the gala opening arrived at 12.30 on schedule after a five hour journey from Paddington at an average speed of 39 miles an hour including stops. The station was located at some distance from the city centre, because the council had refused permission for the line to cross its boundary. However, the council must have changed its mind about the benefits of train travel since it gave permission for the London and South Western Railway to run to Exeter Queen Street (now Exeter Central) in 1860, and a connection between it and St Davids was opened in 1862. Since the line had been extended westwards to Plymouth between 1846 and 1849, and the Exeter and Crediton Railway, which had opened in 1851, had been extended to Barnstaple in 1854 and on to Bideford in 1855, a major extension of St Davids was needed to cope with the increased traffic. The work, which was completed in 1864, increased the number of platforms from one to four. It had a superb front, which was retained when the station was completely rebuilt between 1911 and 1912 in its present form.

Exeter St Davids has the sort of facilities one would expect of a main line station, including parking, refreshments, lifts, toilets, and a bookshop.

For detailed information on facilities click here

A bus connection to Exeter Airport is available, details can be found here (purchase of an Exeter PlusBus addition to your rail ticket will only cost an extra £2.50)

Two venues on the Tarka Line Rail Ale Trail are within sight of the station entrance,

the Great Western Hotel , and the Jolly Porter.

Exeter University is a well sign-posted fifteen minutes walk from the station.

If you want to go either to the main bus station, or to Exeter and Royal Devon Hospital, or to Heavitree Hospital you can catch the H1 or H2 bus from the station, timetable available here ; but you can also do so from Central Station from where it is cheaper. There is also a well sign-posted walk to the city centre, but unless you like walking, stay on the train to Central Station, which as its names implies is in the city centre.