Although built on a 501 yards (458 m) stone viaduct, the railway was nearer to the city centre and the quays on the Exeter Canal.

Unique in all the South Devon Railway stations, there was no engine house, so the driver had to hold the train on its brakes against the pressure in the pipes while it was stopped here.

[6] The original station featured just a single track with a 175 feet (53 m) platform on the city side of the line.

A small booking office was built at road level at the north end of the station and steps led up to the platform.

The station was proposed for closure in Dr. Beeching's The Reshaping of Britain's Railways report but has remained open.