Saltash station café to close as council seeks new operator

Two years after the ribbon was cut on a derelict station building brought back from the brink, Saltash Town Council is starting the search for whoever runs the café next.

Trackside Café to shut at the end of October

Trackside Café, at Isambard House on Saltash Railway Station, will close in its current form on 31 October 2026. The Town Council has confirmed the closure comes at the end of its partnership with the café’s current operator, and that a new concessionaire will now be sought to keep the space running for passengers, residents and visitors.

How a derelict station building became a café

Trackside Café opened in June 2024 as the final stage of the Town Council’s refurbishment of Isambard House. The project restored the derelict Saltash Station building, bringing back a public waiting room, café and toilet facilities and turning it into what the council calls a welcoming and accessible hub for the community and for people travelling by rail.

The restoration carried a price tag of £685,000. The largest single contribution, £300,000, came from Cornwall Council through its Local Transport Plan.

Dawn Couch and two years behind the counter

To bring the café to life, the Town Council partnered with local resident and business owner Dawn Couch. Dawn already had a track record in hospitality and community work through her running of the Poolside Café at Saltash Leisure Centre, a role she will now turn her full attention back to.

Over the two years since, Trackside Café became more than somewhere to grab a coffee before a train. Dawn and her team hosted community groups and informal gatherings, catered for local events, and became part of the daily rhythm of the station. The Town Council says the café played into several of its wider strategic aims, from supporting health and wellbeing to boosting local jobs and prosperity, and to backing accessible, sustainable transport in the town.

What both sides had to say

Mayor Cllr Brian Stoyel paid tribute to the café’s role in bringing the station back to life.

“We are very sorry to see Trackside Café close and would like to thank Dawn and her team for the contribution they have made over the past two years. Trackside Café has played an important role in bringing life back to Saltash Station and helping Isambard House establish itself as a valued community asset.

“Since the refurbishment of the building, it has provided a welcoming space for rail passengers, residents and visitors, supporting the station’s role at the heart of the community. Its success has supported many of the Town Council’s wider ambitions, from promoting wellbeing and social connection to strengthening opportunities for local businesses and encouraging greater use of community facilities.

“The café’s success demonstrates what can be achieved when local businesses, community organisations and public bodies work together with a shared purpose, and we wish Dawn and her team every success for the future.”

Dawn Couch reflected on the past two years behind the counter.

“I’d like to thank the Town Council, all our customers, community groups, visitors and rail passengers who have supported Trackside Café since we opened. It has been a privilege to be part of the station community and to get to know so many wonderful people. We’ve made some fantastic memories and are incredibly proud of what we have achieved. Thank you to everyone who came through our doors and helped make Trackside Café such a special place.”

What happens to the café space now

With the current partnership ending, the Town Council will run a procurement process to appoint a new concessionaire for the café space inside Isambard House. Details of that process are expected to be advertised shortly.

The Town Council is inviting expressions of interest from anyone who fancies taking on the café, and says prospective operators should keep an eye on its website and social media channels for news of how to apply and arrange a viewing. Whoever takes it on inherits a station building that, two Augusts ago, stood empty.