Cornish Main Line

Cornish Main Line
Overview
Native namePenn-hyns-horn Kernow
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleCornwall, United Kingdom
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Great Western Railway
CrossCountry
(Freight: DB Schenker and Freightliner)
History
Opened1867
Technical
Line length79.5 miles (128 km)
Number of tracksDouble with three single track sections
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Old gauge7 ft 14 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge
Operating speed75 mph (121 km/h) maximum[1]
Route map

(Click to expand)

The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash.

It directly serves Truro, St Austell, Bodmin (by a Parkway station) and Liskeard. It forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall and there are branches off it which serve St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe. The main line also carries direct trains to and from London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

It is the southernmost railway line in the United Kingdom and the westernmost in England.

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)