The Dartmoor Line reopens for business
THE WEST Devon town of Okehampton has rejoined the UK national rail network, with The Dartmoor Line becoming the first route in the country to see its regular passenger services reinstated as part of the Government’s Restoring Your Railway scheme.
Public services along the route between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton began on Saturday, November 20, three days after a celebratory event took place to commemorate the reinstatement of the line. For the reopening celebrations, GWR’S 150233 travelled down the line to Okehampton with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, GWR managing director Mark Hopwood and other dignitaries on board. A number of speeches were made at the station, as well as singers being on hand to celebrate the occasion, with more than 100 guests on the platforms to witness the event.
Following the official reception, the Class 150 completed two trips carrying local schoolchildren, members of the Dartmoor Railway Association – who campaigned for the reinstatement of the route – and engineers who worked on the line’s upgrade. Trains on the route currently operate roughly every two hours throughout the day, although it is planned that the service frequency will be increased to an hourly service over the coming months, with about half of the services also continuing through to Exeter Central.
Dartmoor Line services also call at Crediton, with passengers between Crediton and Exeter also seeing an increase in services as a result of the reopening. GWR, Dartline Coaches, and Devon County Council have ensured that local transport is coordinated, with easy bus and train connections.reports from the first few days of operation on the line indicated that the services were being well used. Fares on the route are currently set at £4 for a single journey in either direction.
The line was previously used by aggregate traffic to and from Meldon Quarry following its closure to passenger traffic in June 1972, with a section of the route also operated as a heritage line prior to the owning company collapsing into administration in 2020.
The Restoring Your Railway fund was launched in January 2020 and is focused on delivering schemes to reconnect communities that have previously lost their rail services, while also improving access to jobs, homes and education.
The Dartmoor Line received £40.5 million of Government funding in March 2021 to allow the route to be upgraded and made suitable for the reinstatement of passenger services. Network Rail, GWR and the Department for Transport, along with Devon County Council, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and the Dartmoor Railway Association, worked together on the project, with the whole scheme being delivered ahead of schedule and at £10 million under budget. It has been completed in an impressive
nine months, with Network Rail engineers laying 11 miles of new track and installing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast over a 20-day period.
Repairs have also been made to 21 structures along the route, including four bridges.
Other work includes level crossing improvements, the installation of communications equipment, vegetation clearance, earth and drainage works and fencing installation. Further works will take place over the coming months to allow the line speed to be increased, so hourly services can be introduced later in 2022.
Okehampton station has been provided with new information screens, a passenger help point, smartcard validation points, ticket vending machines, and a waiting room to bring it up to current standards, while still retaining its heritage feel. Only one platform at the station is in use for GWR services. Further work on the station buildings will be carried out over the winter months to enable the restoration of a café and other facilities.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “By restoring The Dartmoor Line, we are undoing 50 years of damage, reconnecting a community and creating new opportunities for jobs, tourism, education and recreation.
“We have made it our mission to reverse cuts made in the Beeching era of the 1960s.
“The passion, nostalgia and enthusiasm for that ambition is clear right across the country. People love their railways, and rightly miss them when they’re gone.
“Today – ahead of time and under budget – we’ve made a decisive step in fixing that, cutting the ribbon on a line and making a real difference to people’s lives.”
Michelle Handforth, Network Rail’s Wales & Western regional managing director, said: “I am delighted that today marks the return of much anticipated regular passenger services between Exeter and Okehampton. “This is something that the local community and our partners have wanted for a very long time.
“I am thrilled that through the close working of the project partners, The Dartmoor Line is opening ahead of schedule and under budget. I would like to pay tribute to our project team and engineers, whose commitment and hard work has got us here today, as we celebrate the return of regular passenger services for the first time in nearly 50 years.”
Mark Hopwood, GWR managing director, said: “This has been a key aspiration for the community and the rail industry for some time and today is a significant day for everyone who has been involved.
“I am delighted to have been able to invite the Secretary of State and leading community campaigners to enjoy a first passenger journey on this restored line.
“The support and advocacy of the local campaigners over the years has helped deliver a fantastic new service for customers, which we hope will grow from strength to strength.”
For more information about The Dartmoor Line, visit https://dartmoorline.com