page_title: Exeter–Plymouth line
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Exeter–Plymouth line / History
caption_attribution_description: English: South West Trains' 159103 passes over Totnes Viaduct in Devon, England, while working from London Waterloo to Plymouth.
context_page_description: The Exeter–Plymouth line, also called the South Devon Main Line, is a central part of the trunk railway line between London Paddington and Penzance in the southern United Kingdom. It is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line and runs from Exeter to Plymouth, from where it continues as the Cornish Main Line. It was one of the principal routes of the Great Western Railway which in 1948 became part of the Western Region of British Railways and are now part of the Network Rail system.
context_section_description: The line only became a through route on 2 July 1906 when the Langport and Castle Cary Railway was completed. Before this, from 5 May 1848, through trains from London to Plymouth had run via Bristol Temple Meads: this is often called the "Great Way Round" and a few trains still take this route.
  The various sections of line were opened: 
  Exeter to Teignmouth – 30 May 1846
  Teignmouth to Newton – 30 December 1846
  Newton to Totnes – 20 July 1847
  Totnes to Laira – 5 May 1848
  Laira to Plymouth – 2 April 1849
  The Reading to Hungerford section was promoted as the Berks and Hants Railway; from there to Patney & Chirton by the Berks and Hants Extension Railway; and from Westbury to Castle Cary by the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway. The section from Cogload Junction to Exeter was built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, which company's Yeovil branch became part of the new main line between Curry Rivel Junction and Athelney Junction, and including Athelney station. The section between Exeter and Plymouth was built by the South Devon Railway Company.
  The nominally independent companies had all been amalgamated into the Great Western Railway by 1 February 1876, and the remaining 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) broad gauge lines were closed on 20 May 1892 and converted to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge over the following weekend.  A series of cut-off lines were constructed during the following 15 years which saw the through route established.  The Great Western was nationalised on 1 January 1948 as part of the new British Railways.
  In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options to do so by 2000. Some included electrifying the Bristol to Exeter line, Exeter to Plymouth Line, Riviera Line and Cornish Main Line. Under the 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government the proposal was not implemented. Currently, there are no proposals to electrify the line.
  Resignalling in the 1980s allowed faster running. This was followed by privatisation in the 1990s, being transferred first to Railtrack and then to its successor Network Rail.
caption: South West Trains Class 159 unit 159103 crossing Totnes viaduct, with a service from London Waterloo to Plymouth. South West Trains also operated to Paignton and Penzance, however, since the December 2009 timetable change, they no longer operate west of Exeter.
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