Editing Tarka Line (section)

== Services ==

Since December 2019 most services have been operated by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] {{Brc|158}} [[diesel multiple unit]]s. For several years before this they had been operated by {{Brc|150}}s, which were transferred to other branch lines in Devon and Cornwall, and {{Brc|143}}s which were withdrawn.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sherratt |first=Philip |title=GWR set for sparks timetable |magazine=Modern Railways |date=August 2019 |page=66}}</ref> They operate approximately hourly and take around 75 minutes for the journey between Exeter Central and Barnstaple. The off-peak service pattern is generally Exeter Central, Exeter St. Davids, Crediton, Yeoford(req), Copplestone, Morchard Road(req), Eggesford, Umberleigh(req), Barnstaple. Only two services each way call at all stops on this line. A single service is extended beyond Exeter to  {{stnlnk|Axminster}} on Monday to Friday evenings, and another operates to and from {{Stnlnk|Exmouth}} in the May 2022 timetable.<ref name=GWTT>{{cite web |title=D2 train times (15 May to 10 December 2022) |url=https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/plan-journey/timetables/2022/train-times-15-may-to-12-dec-2022/d2-train-times-15-may-to-10-dec-22-updated-110522.pdf?la=en |publisher=Great Western Railway |access-date=2022-05-16}}</ref>

=== Operation ===

The line is single track with passing loops at Crediton and Eggesford. The only [[signal box]] is at Crediton.<ref name="RTD"/> Its semaphore signals and mechanical lever frame were replaced by electric signals and an electric signalling panel on 16 December 1984. Trains between Crediton and Barnstaple are controlled by [[Token (railway signalling)|tokens]] which ensure there is just one train on the line at any time. Train drivers exchange their token in the No Signalman Token Remote (NSTR) equipment at Eggesford.<ref name=NDL-141>{{harvnb|Nicholas|1992|pages=141–143}}</ref>