REOPENING the Okehampton railway line, hopefully later this year, would mean more trains every day between Crediton and Exeter.

The line closed to passenger traffic almost 50 years ago, one of the Beeching cuts.

It will be the first in the Government’s Restoring Your Railway initiatives, which will see Devon receive £40 million to bring back the regular, daily passenger rail service.

It will be only the third railway to open for regular passenger services in Devon and Cornwall in 100 years.

Following confirmation of Government funding, services are expected to restart later this year on the 14-mile stretch of railway – known as the Dartmoor Line – for a regular, daily passenger rail service between Okehampton and Exeter, stopping at Crediton.

This would be the culmination of years of work between a number of organisations.

Network Rail has been working in partnership with Great Western Railway since the beginning of 2020, carrying out detailed investigations to see what infrastructure and railway control system improvements are needed to bring the Dartmoor Line up to the required standard to enable GWR to operate trains safely.

Now that the green light has been received and investigations have been completed, Network Rail engineers will start immediately to undertake a range of works including drainage, fencing and earthworks, and will lay more than 11 miles of track, replace 24,000 concrete sleepers and install nearly 29,000 tonnes of ballast before running test trains on the track ahead of fully reopening the railway to passengers.

It is estimated that the train journey between Exeter and Okehampton would be about 30 per cent quicker than by car or bus, helping reduce road traffic and putting people in the centre of Exeter with no car park fee.

Network Rail said this would also provide better access into Cornwall and West Devon and greatly improve possibilities for those who need to get to Exeter for work or study.

Economically, the reopening of the railway was expected to attract inward investment to Okehampton and surrounding areas as well as result in greater numbers of visitors.

TRANSPORT HUB

The development of the railway and Okehampton station as a transport hub will also help boost tourism and has the potential to bring millions of pounds into the area.

This would include Dartmoor National Park, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and the Granite Way cycle route.

Okehampton station will be upgraded, including installing a ticket vending machine, Help Point, public address system, information screens, CCTV and free WiFi.

A “Pay and Display” car park will also be introduced with dedicated disabled bays, and the station building and platform will be fully accessible.

Several level crossings will be upgraded but no work is expected at the local one in this area at Salmonhutch (Salmonpool). This was upgraded two years ago.

Yeoford will not be impacted apart from new lights, currently being installed.

Richard Burningham MBE, Manager of Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, commented that Yeoford would still have the hourly trains between Exeter and Barnstaple. It would not be cheap to reinstate the Dartmoor Line platform, not part of this project.

At Crediton, Christian Irwin, Network Rail’s Industry Programme Director said no work was being done other than in the signal box to cater for “one-and-a-half trains an hour” with the two-hourly Dartmoor service.

NEW BRIDGE

The new bridge at Penstone, which has sat in a field nearby for a year, will be lifted in place in April.

An underpass at Colebrooke will be filled in but the biggest changes will be at Okehampton where the Dartmoor Line ran its last train in December 2019, shortly before it went into administration.

Christian Irwin said that GWR expected to have trains running every two hours, seven days-a-week by the end of 2021.

He added: “We’re thrilled to have received funding confirmation from the Government to support us in reopening the Dartmoor Line.

“We’re excited by the numerous benefits the reopening of this railway will bring to Okehampton and surrounding areas, and we are now fully focussed on undertaking the necessary engineering work required to prepare this line for the return of regular passenger services.”

Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said that returning regular, daily services to this line has been a long-held ambition and was the most sought-after additional route in its most recent franchise consultation.

“We are pleased that the case we made to Government for this important local line has been so compelling that this is one of the first of the Government’s Restoring Your Railway re-opening projects to get the green light.

“This is great news for communities surrounding Okehampton wanting to be re-connected to the national network.”

Okehampton County Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development, a member of campaign group OkeRail said: “Devon County Council financed and kept the Sunday service going and this proved that you could do it and that there was enough interest in a train on a summer Sunday and that this could work.

“We have plans for a new station for the industrial estate and have put in a bid for the new Government Levelling Up fund.

“To accommodate a new station there between now and the start of the regular service, GWR is realigning track. The first thing is to get trains running on the new track.”

The service for Okehampton would be “a massive benefit” for the area and attract investment.

Cllr Davis added that a bid had gone in to Government for a light railway between Barnstaple and Braunton.

It is 170 years since the railway opened for Crediton and then Okehampton, 49 years since Beeching saw the line as not needed and closed it for passengers. It was fortunate in a way that the line was needed until recently for trains carrying stone from Meldon Quarry.

GREAT FOR CREDITON

Richard Burningham added: "The new Okehampton service will also be great for Crediton.  It will create a new direct and fast public transport link between the two and will mean more trains between Crediton and Exeter, increasing the service to two an hour when there is an Okehampton train. 

“Use of Crediton station nearly doubled over 10 years from 36,784 passengers in 2009-10 to 66,606 in 2019-20 (Apr - Mar) and I am very confident that many more Crediton people will find the train is a great way to travel, particularly when the Okehampton line reopens."

He added: “Thanks to the Government and congratulations to all those whose hard work over, in some cases, many years has got us to today’s announcement. This year is the 150th anniversary of the railway first arriving in Okehampton.

For years there have been dreams of another station for Okehampton. Dr Michael Ireland, chairman of OkeRail, said that a Parkway was vital for Okehampton.

“If this was to be successful we need a parkway to the east of Okehampton so people could come off the A30 from Cornwall and Tavistock and get on the train.

“There would be Okehampton Town for tourism and town traffic and Okehampton Parkway for the traffic from the rural hinterland such as Holsworthy, Tavistock and from Launceston.”

MILESTONE MOMENT

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “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.

“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.”

Mel Stride, MP for Central Devon, said: “I’m delighted that after many years of local campaigning Government has backed this vital scheme.”

Christian Irwin said: “We are grateful to our partners and supporters who are helping make this a realisation and would like to thank local residents living near to the railway for their patience whilst we ramp up our activity to get the track ready.”

Nick Way, the County Councillor for Crediton, said: “As a former Chairman of the Exeter Area Rail Working Party and member of Devon Rail Forum I welcome this long awaited announcement by government.

“It is something we have been campaigning for locally for a very long time.

“Congratulations needs to go to all the individuals and community groups, in particular OkeRail for their part keeping this project alive.

“I look forward to seeing the full timetable for the implementation of the project. It will mean a better service, including more trains to and from Exeter stopping at Crediton during peak hours.”

GWR expects to introduce a passenger service by the end of 2021 with trains running every two hours, seven days-a-week.