The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was a railway company formed to connect
Bristol and
Exeter. It was built on the
broad gauge and its engineer was
Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with the
Great Western Railway (GWR), which built its main line between London and Bristol, and in time formed part of a through route between London and Cornwall.