Okehampton trains
Great Western Railway plans to return daily passenger trains to Okehampton - for the first time since 1972.
DAILY passenger trains will return to Okehampton for the first time in nearly 50 years by the end of 2021.
Great Western Railway is to introduce a two-hourly service to Exeter later this year. Journey times are expected to be around 40 minutes, compared with the current 61-minute bus journey.
Previously, there had only been a summer Sunday service which last ran in September 2019 (last year’s operations were cancelled due to the pandemic). British Rail closed the route to daily passenger trains in 1972, although it remained open for freight.
Okehampton will also act as a railhead for residents of mid- and West Devon and North Cornwall. The line will be named the Dartmoor Line.
NR will start work immediately on preparing the 14-mile route from Coleford Junction (near Crediton) to Okehampton. This will include laying 11 miles of new track and replacing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast. Level crossings along the line require upgrading, while new GSM-R masts will be erected.
Funding for the reopening scheme is from the Government’s Restoring Your Railway initiative. “The return of all-year services to the picturesque Dartmoor Line for the first time in half a century is a milestone moment in our efforts to restore our railways,” said Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps.
“Reversing lost railway connections breathes new life into our High Streets, drives tourism and investment in businesses and housing, and opens new opportunities for work and education.”
NR Industry Programme Director Christian Irwin added: “We’re excited by the numerous benefits the reopening of this railway will bring to Okehampton and surrounding areas.”
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “Returning regular, daily services to this line has been a long-held ambition of ours and was the most sought-after additional routes in our most recent franchise consultation.
“The commitment to reopen the line will help extend the reach and social and economic benefits of the railway, further supporting the communities we serve.”
There are plans to develop the existing Okehampton station as a transport hub to provide better access both to the town and to nearby attractions, including Dartmoor and the Granite Way cycle route.
GWR will install a ticket vending machine, Help Point, public address system, information screens, CCTV and free WiFi at Okehampton. There will be a ‘Pay & Display’ car park with dedicated disabled bays, while the station building and platform will be fully accessible.
“Long closed, the Okehampton line will be only the third railway to open for regular passenger services in Devon and Cornwall in 100 years. All of us are going to be working hard to make it a huge success and I am very sure it will be,” said Richard Burningham MBE, Manager, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.
Conservative MP for Central Devon Mel Stride added: “I look forward to seeing Network Rail ready the track for the return of regular passenger services in the coming months, so we can reconnect communities, boost tourism and give many thousands of my constituents the quality of local transport infrastructure they should rightly expect.”
Previously the Dartmoor Railway operated heritage services before that business went into administration.