St Ives Bay Line
| St Ives Bay Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Community railway |
| Locale | Cornwall |
| Termini |
St Erth 50°10′14″N 5°26′39″W / 50.1706°N 5.4443°W St Ives 50°12′32″N 5°28′40″W / 50.2088°N 5.4777°W |
| Stations | 5 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1877 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Great Western Railway |
| Character | Rural |
| Rolling stock | Class 150 and Class 153 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 4.25 miles (6.84 km) |
| Number of tracks | Single track throughout |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Old gauge | 7 ft (2,134 mm) until May 20, 1892 |
| Operating speed | 30 mph (48 km/h) |
The St Ives Bay Line is a 4.25 miles (6.84 km) railway line from St Erth to St Ives in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was opened in 1877, the last new 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge passenger railway to be constructed in the country. Converted to standard gauge in 1892, it continues to operate as a community railway which carries a large number of tourists as well as local passengers. It has five stations including the junction with the Cornish Main Line at St Erth.
The St Ives Junction Railway applied for an Act of Parliament in 1845, but as the West Cornwall Railway’s Bill failed in its application for an Act at the same time, the St Ives company withdrew its proposal. A new Act was successfully applied for in 1873 to authorise a St Ives branch line as an extension of the West Cornwall Railway, although by that time this was controlled by the Great Western Railway. It was opened on 1 June 1877, the last new 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge passenger railway route to be built in Britain. A third rail was added to the southern section of the line in October 1888 to allow 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge goods trains to reach the wharf at Lelant. The last broad gauge train ran on Friday 20 May 1892; since the following Monday all trains have been standard gauge.
Although there was heavy traffic in fish in the early years, this declined during the first half of the twentieth century. Goods traffic was withdrawn from the intermediate stations at Lelant and Carbis Bay in May 1956 but continued at St Ives itself until September 1963.
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