About IRUG

The main aims and objectives of Ivybridge Rail Users Group are:
1. To work with the rail companies and Local, District and County Councils to help bring about improvements in train services and facilities at Ivybridge station.
2. To promote the services available at Ivybridge Station.
3. To improve the safety, security and information available to enhance the environment at the station.
The group holds regular meetings to further its aims and occasionally invites speakers from external organisations to give information and answer questions about rail services. The group is run entirely by volunteers.

IRUG's History

​Ivybridge station opened in July 1994 about half a mile east of the original Great Western Railway (GWR) station which closed in 1959. The station is on the main Paddington to Penzance line.
Ivybridge Rail Users Group was inaugurated on 28th September 2004.
​The group was formed by local rail users with the help and support of Ivybridge Town Council. The Group was formed to protect and improve rail services for Ivybridge.
The group campaigned successfully against the cuts in rail services announced by First Great Western (FGW) in February 2006. The cuts affected many areas over the South and South West Rail network. Many of these cuts were subsequently reversed. 

Our Team

IRUG is composed of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster and several other members. We are all local residents, volunteers and keen to see improvements in local rail services. 

​Ivybridge Town Information

​Ivybridge is known as the Gateway to the Moor and sits at the Southern end of the Dartmoor National Park.
Ivybridge offers many good walks around the South Dartmoor area and along the River Erme up into the beautiful Long Timber Woods. It also has a Tennis Centre and a Sports/Leisure Centre with a swimming pool. The Watermark building has a library, information point, cinema/theatre, coffee shop, meeting rooms and a business suite. Ivybridge has a supermarket and a range of independent shops. There is an Ofsted Outstanding rated secondary school and a number of excellent primary schools.

Ivybridge has grown in the last 25 years from approximately 1,000 inhabitants to 13,000 with new housing estates at both the east and west end of the town. It is situated between the A38 dual carriageway and the southern edge of Dartmoor where the main rail line runs.

Ivybridge also sits on both the famous Two Moors Way, a Coast to Coast walking path that stretches across both Dartmoor and Exmoor and on the Dartmoor Way Cycle Route, a 95 mile-long circular route around the Dartmoor National Park. 

Top right photo credit: Tim Squires