Dartmoor Line has reasons to celebrate
JUST over a year after the Dartmoor Line reopened to regular passenger trains, total journey numbers on the Devon railway line passed 250,000 in the week that Rail Minister Huw Merriman officially opened the renovated station building at Okehampton.
The line reopened on November 20, 2021, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years, following more than £40 million of Government investment.
The previously-mothballed rail line, which runs between Okehampton and Exeter, was restored in just nine months and was delivered £10 million under budget, becoming the first former line to reopen under the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway programme.
In the same week as it celebrated its one-year anniversary, the Dartmoor Line also saw its 250,000th journey, showing an incredible patronage on the line – more than double the demand originally forecast.
Since Great Western Railway (GWR) increased services to hourly in May this year, passenger use has continued to rise, with more than 500 journeys starting at Okehampton every day.
After meeting local dignitaries in Okehampton and unveiling a plaque to mark the official reopening of the station building, Mr Merriman said: “A big congratulations to everyone who has been involved in bringing this wonderful line back into regular use over the past year.
“With over 250,000 journeys made, restoring this vital route has undone 50 years of damage. We’ve reconnected a community and created new opportunities for jobs, tourism, education and leisure. Our Restoring Your Railway programme is making a real contribution to levelling up the country and breathing new life into previously cutoff areas.”
Mark Hopwood, GWR managing director, said: “It is hard to believe that it is already a year since we and our partners reopened the Dartmoor Line, ahead of time and under budget.
“This anniversary, with more than 250,000 journeys now made, is testament to the hard work of so many who campaigned for the line’s reinstatement and those who worked day and night to deliver the project £10 million under budget. The continued demand shows just how important good rail connections are for the community, and the economies, they serve.”
Michelle Handforth, Network Rail’s Wales and Western regional managing director, said: “I am delighted to see the success of the Dartmoor Line as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of its reopening.
“This has truly been a team effort between Network Rail and our partners, GWR and Devon County Council, and I remain ever so proud of our project team and engineers whose commitment and hard work enabled us to restore this mothballed former freight railway line in just nine months and under budget.”