Regular train services are back!

After nearly 50 years, daily passenger rail services have returned to Okehampton.

The Dartmoor Line – which received £40.5-million of government funding in March — opened officially on November 20, becoming the first line to be reinstated under the Department for Transport’s 'Restoring your Railway' initiative.

After a huge team effort to make the reopening a reality by Network Rail, Great Western Railway (GWR), and the Department for Transport, alongside project partners Devon County Council, Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and Dartmoor Railway Association (DRA), the line was reopened ahead of schedule and £10-million under budget.

To make the restoration possible, Network Rail’s team of engineers worked tirelessly to deliver a huge programme of work to physically reopen the line in just nine months, including laying 11 miles of new track and installing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast in a record-breaking 20-day period.

Repairs have also been made to 21 structures along the route including four bridges. Other infrastructure work has included level crossing improvements and the installation of railway communications equipment. Vegetation clearance, earth and drainage works and fencing have also been completed and further infrastructure work will continue to take place to increase the line speed to enable an hourly service in 2022.

Michelle Handforth, Network Rail’s Wales and Western regional managing director, said: ‘This is something that the local community and our partners have wanted for a very long time and I am thrilled through the close working of the project partners, the Dartmoor Line is opening ahead of schedule and under budget.’

Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said: ‘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.’

In attendance at the official launch was the Rt Hon Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport. He said: ‘There has never been a more proud moment in my two-and-a-half years in this job than pulling into this station to see this line reopened.’

Dr Michael Ireland, chair of OkeRail, a campaigning group made up of interested parties who fought tirelessly for the railway to come back, said: ‘This has been 13 years of work underpinned by customer research. Destination Okehampton was a precursor to OkeRail and this came into existence after the Dawlish sea wall crisis (2014). 

‘The reopening is a marker in the campaign but it isn’t the end. What we now need to do is get the link from Okehampton to Plymouth via Tavistock and get the link from Okehampton to Bude. This will be really important in the present climate with the sea levels rising and climate change being addressed; we have to have this link for the benefit of future generations and for young people and employment.’

The reopening of the route is expected to boost local businesses, the tourism sector, and provide greater access to education and work for thousands of people who live locally.

Town councillor Christine Marsh, and chairperson of Everything Okehampton, said the line will attract more people in to the town to visit local attractions or to shop.

’This is a huge opportunity for the town and will allow for more prosperity for businesses. We need to get the town going again and bring people into the town and welcome them.’

The route connects Exeter St Davids, Crediton and Okehampton, providing a launchpad for visitors to explore Dartmoor and regional links for local commuters. Around half of services, including at peak times, will also carry on to Exeter Central. Passengers travelling between Crediton and Exeter will also benefit from an increase in service frequency.

Visit www.dartmoorline.com to read more on the project.

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