Railways arrived in the area in 1841, with the opening of part of the Bristol and Exeter Railway on 14 June, which eventually reached Exeter in 1844. In late 1846, the railway company attempted to buy the canal to prevent its use by rival railway companies. The sale was agreed in principle in June 1847, and was authorised by an act of Parliament passed on 30 June 1848. The shareholders received £7,372 in 1850, and the canal company was dissolved in 1851.