Dartmoor Line Passes 250,000 Journeys On Its First Anniversary, As Rail Minister Visits To Mark Official Opening Of The Station Building
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.
These three paragraphs talk about the Dartmoor Line’s reopening.
Just over a year after the Dartmoor Line reopened to regular passenger trains, journey numbers on the line have passed 250,000 this Monday morning [28 November], with the arrival of an extra special visitor, Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, to officially open the renovated station building.
The line reopened on 20 November 2021, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years following more than £40m of Government investment.
The previously mothballed rail line, which runs between Okehampton and Exeter, was restored in just nine months and delivered £10m under budget, becoming the first former line to reopen under the Government’s £500m Restoring Your Railway programme.
I have a few thoughts.
A Well-Managed Project
It does appear that Network Rail upped a gear or two to fulfil this project. The press release puts it like this.
Reinstatement of the Dartmoor Line was made possible by Network Rail’s team of engineers who worked tirelessly to deliver a huge programme of work 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.
But it does appear that over recent months Network Rail seems to do things a lot better and quicker.
I do wonder, if on the construction side, Network Rail have been able to bring in new working practices, that they are still trying to get lots of their other workers to accept.
A Quarter Of A Million Journeys
The press release says this about passenger numbers.
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 and more than double the demand originally forecast.
But they still can’t get the forecasts right.
Passenger Numbers Are Still Rising
The press release says this about rising passenger numbers
Since Great Western Railway (GWR) increased services to hourly in May 2022, passenger use has continued to rise, with over 500 journeys starting at Okehampton every day and a further 300 travelling into the town from across the rail network.
Is There Still Growth To Come?
There are several zero-carbon trains under development, so why not have a civilised shoot out, with each manufacturer given say four weeks in which to show off their products in passenger service.
This would hopefully indicate, if there was more growth to come and what would be the best trains to use.
Conclusion
The Dartmoor Line has been shown to be a success so lets repeat the dose.
Possible Regular Services Between West Somerset Railway And Taunton
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
Hopes are growing that regular scheduled train services will once more operate between the West Somerset Railway (WSR) and the national rail network.
There is an increasing interest in re-opening long-closed stations and lines on the network. To this end, a partnership working group has been set up to look at the prospects of running scheduled trains between WSR’s Bishops Lydeard station and Taunton, which would safeguard the WSR’s long-term future.
The working group comprises representatives of the Heart of South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Great Western Railway, Network Rail, Somerset County Council, and WSR Plc.
Given the success of the reopened Okehampton station, that I wrote about in Success For The Dartmoor Line, where 2,500 passengers a week have used the trains since last November, I wonder if Somerset is aiming to emulate Devon’s success, with the West Somerset Railway.
There are certainly similarities between the two routes.
Connection To The County Town
Both routes connect to the county town.
- The Dartmoor Line connects to Exeter, which is the county town of Devon.
- The West Somerset Railway connects to Taunton, which is the county town of Somerset.
As the county town usually contains important local services like the council offices and the Courts, this is often convenient.
Connection To The Great Western Railway
Both routes could have excellent connections to the Great Western Railway.
- Exeter St. David’s station is a major interchange.
- Taunton station could be a more important interchange.
Note.
- Both stations have connections to Bristol, London and Cornwall.
- The two stations are well-connected to each other.
- Both stations have six platforms, which include some bay platforms for branch line services.
This Google Map shows the less developed Taunton station.
Note that there appears to be lots of space for development of rail and related development.
Both Branches Were/Are In Use Before Development
Before the Dartmoor Line was reopened, the route was in occasional use for both freight and passenger trains. Great Western Railway have in recent years run InterCity125 trains to Okehampton station.
With reopening the line to Okehampton, there was no major viaduct or bridges to rebuild, although Network Rail took the prudent decision to relay the track.
It would appear that the West Somerset Railway has similar use for both freight and passenger trains. How much work will be needed to bring it up to an acceptable standard.
Great Western Railway Are Providing Initial Weekend Services
On the Dartmoor Line services started between Exeter and Okehampton in 2019 and Wikipedia says this about initial services between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard station.
In 2019, the WSR entered into a partnership with the modern Great Western Railway (GWR) to operate Summer Saturday services to Bishops Lydeard from Taunton beginning on 27 July 2019. The introduction of these GWR services will mark the first time the station has been connected to the rest of the national rail network since its initial closure in 1971.
Is history going to repeat itself?
The First Step
This paragraph from the Rail Advent article, indicates the first step to reopening a service between Taunton and Minehead.
The first task will be to look at the simplest and most effective way in which the link between the WSR and the mainline can be improved, signalled, and operated. An outline business plan will then be developed to estimate how much it would cost.
This Google Map shows the link between the West Somerset Railway and the mainline.
Note.
- The large triangular junction.
- The Bristol-Exeter railway runs East-West across the bottom of the map.
- Minehead is to the North.
- Taunton is to the East.
- A disused line to Barnstaple is to the West.
- The site to the West of the top of the triangular junction is a ballast cleaning site.
It does appear that there could be the space to create an efficient junction linking the two railways.
Initial Regular Services
This was one of the introductory paragraphs.
There is an increasing interest in re-opening long-closed stations and lines on the network. To this end, a partnership working group has been set up to look at the prospects of running scheduled trains between WSR’s Bishops Lydeard station and Taunton, which would safeguard the WSR’s long-term future.
This page on the Railway Touring Company web site is entitled The West Somerset Steam Express.
This paragraph describes the trip.
This series of trains from London Paddington to Minehead features haulage by two steam locomotives in one day.
One steam locomotive will haul our train from London Paddington to the West Somerset Railway at Bishops Lydeard.
The Heritage Railway will then provide a steam locomotive to haul our train to Minehead and back. This provides a truly fascinating day out travelling through beautiful scenery to the Bristol Channel coast.
So it looks like, the initial services on the between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard stations, will duplicate services that are already planned on a very much less frequent basis.
Bishops Lydeard Station
Bishops Lydeard station is the station, where mainline and West Somerset services meet.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at the station.
Note.
- The station is the Southern terminus of the West Somerset Railway.
- Track is single to the North and South of the station.
- Bishops Lydeard station has two platforms.
- There is a passing loop.
If the terminal station has a serious problem, it doesn’t appear to have much parking.
So it would appear, that a link to Taunton might improve the finances of the West Somerset Railway, by attracting more visitors.
Onward To Minehead
This OpenRailwayMap shows the last section of the West Somerset Railway to Minehead.
Note.
- Minehead station is in the North West corner of the map.
- Minehead station appears to be a well-equipped station, with two platforms.
- Minehead station even has a turntable for turning locomotives.
- There are four or five stations close to the coast.
The Wikipedia entry for Minehead, says this about the town.
The parish of Minehead has a population of approximately 11,981, making it the most populous town in the western part of the Somerset West and Taunton local government district, which in turn, is the worst area in the country for social mobility.
The West Somerset Railway could become both a useful and a real bucket-and-spade railway. Surely, that could generate revenue and level-up the area.
Financing
If you want something to work well, you must get the finances right.
I have lived in Dalston in London for twelve years now. When I moved here after my wife died and I had had a serious stroke, which left me unable to drive, I relied on an antiquated mainly bendy-bus-based public transport system.
Then along came the Overground and fleets of shiny new buses and Hackney and Dalston in particular was more than levelled up with London’s more salubrious boroughs.
Shopping improved with M & S returning after at least seventy years. There’s even a Pret, which boomed during the pandemic.
Transport for London got the financing for the Overground right and they created a success.
Conclusion
Can the initial working group find a financial model so that the West Somerset Railway can do for West Somerset, what the Overground has done for Dalston and the Dartmoor Line appears to be doing for Devon?
I thoroughly hope so!
Success For The Dartmoor Line
This article on Railnews is entitled Railway Braces For Weekend Changes.
The article flags up that rail timetables will change to the summer timetable and uses the Dartmoor Line where services will go hourly, as an example.
The article says this about the changes to the Dartmoor Line and the success of the restored service to Okehampton station.
One of the many changes includes the doubling of service frequencies on the recently-reopened Dartmoor Line between Exeter and Okehampton, where scheduled passenger trains were restored last November. From Sunday trains will be running every hour, and rail minister Wendy Morton visited Okehampton yesterday to celebrate the improvements.
The reopening is part of the government’s promise to ‘Restore your railways’, and the Okehampton line is the first practical example of this in action. The line was upgraded for £10 million less than the £40.5 million budgeted, and Network Rail said the route has proved ‘hugely popular’, because passenger numbers have been more than double than predicted, reaching an average of over 2,500 a week during the first 20 weeks. The number of passengers at nearby Crediton, where the Dartmoor Line joins services on the Tarka Line from Barnstaple, is also 39 per cent higher than it was before the pandemic.
I have some thoughts.
Reopening Of The Line
Network Rail can build projects on time and on budget, if they get the project management right.
Passenger Numbers Between Exeter And Okehampton
If 2,500 passengers per week can use the line in the winter, when there is only one train per two hours (tp2h), how many passengers will use the train, when there is an hourly service?
2,500 passengers per week, throughout the year would be 125,000 passengers per year and as surely the summer will be busier, I don’t think it will be an unreasonable figure.
Okehampton station car park appears to have around 300 spaces, so at 2,500 passengers per week, there might be a not too distant day, when it fills up.
Passenger Numbers At Crediton
I am not surprised that traffic at Crediton is up by 39 percent.
Consider.
- Pre-pandemic, Crediton station had one train per hour (tph) to and from Exeter.
- Post-pandemic, Crediton has three trains per two hours to and from Exeter.
It looks like the train frequency has been increased by 50 % and the number of passengers has increased by 39 %.
That surely is not surprising and passenger numbers might increase further when one tph are running between Exeter and both Barnstaple and Okehampton, if there are more possible passengers to attract.
Car parking at Crediton station may also be a problem, as there appears to be less than a hundred spaces.
Okehampton Parkway Station
Okehampton Parkway Station is likely to be built to the East of Okehampton. Wikipedia says this about the station.
Okehampton Parkway is a proposed railway station in Okehampton on the Dartmoor Line. The station would be part of the Devon Metro and has been described as a priority station. The station is to be sited at the A30 junction at Stockley Hamlet and would be sited at the Business Park at Okehampton as well as serving a further 900 homes close to the site.
Wikipedia, also says that Devon County Council has bought the site.
This must be one of the best sites to build a parkway station in the UK.
- It’s on the dual-carriageway A 30, between London and Cornwall.
- The good people of Devon seem to like to use trains given the passenger numbers at Okehampton and Crediton stations.
- Housing is being built nearby.
This Google Map shows Devon and Cornwall to the West of Okehampton and Barnstaple.
Note.
- Okehampton with two stations is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Barnstaple, which has a station, is in the North-East corner of the map.
- There are well-visited holiday resorts all along the cost including Ilfracombe, Westward Ho! and Bude.
It strikes me that if Devon put together a network of zero-carbon buses, it would be well-used and they could sell the area for zero-carbon holidays.
Rolling Stock
Currently, the Okehampton and Barnstaple services are operated by Class 150 trains.
These are definitely not good enough, due to their age and diesel power.
The distances of the two services are as follows.
- Exeter and Barnstable – 39.5 miles
- Exeter and Okehampton – 25.5 miles
I feel that these routes could be handled by a battery-electric train like the Hitachi Regional Battery Train, which is shown in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- For these routes, the trains would probably be based on four-car Class 385 trains, with a top speed of 90 mph.
- Charging would be in Exeter.
- Charging may not be needed at Barnstaple and Okehampton as the routes are downhill.
If battery-electric trains can’t handle the routes, I’m sure hydrogen-powered trains could.
East Midlands Commuter Programme
The East Midlands Commuter Programme has been launched.
It has its own web site, with this mission statement.
Working Towards A Sustainable/Healthy/Prosperous East Midlands By Investing In Rail
And this more expansive statement.
East Midlands Commuter Programme is a scheme to introduce a high-frequency and high-quality rail service across the East Midlands with as little new infrastructure as possible, as well as lobbying for the extension of NET trams into Derby, East Midlands Airport and more.
So what is the flesh on the bones?
Four Stages
These are.
- Stage One – Building the Core
- Stage Two – Trams and Stations
- Stage Three – A Vital Stage For Heavy Rail
- Stage Four – Achieving Twenty trams per hour Through Toton
It looks to me, that there is the start of good things there, but full information is not on the web site yet.
Every plan put forward must be capable of being built.
I shall not comment further until the plan has been completed, published and handed to the Government.
Liverpool’s Vision For Rail was published by the region in July 2021 and it is a complete and well-thought out plan.
In October 2021, I was able to write Chancellor To Fund £710m Merseyrail Expansion.
Work has already started on the first extension to Headbolt Lane station.
At a very much smaller level, look what happened in Devon with the Dartmoor Line, where a small scheme was delivered quickly.
We now also have two further smaller well-planned schemes underway; the Northumberland Line and the Levenmouth Rail Link in Scotland.
Conclusion
I would suspect, that if the East Midlands can write a plan that is complete, fully-costed and deliverable, then they will get the same result as the Liverpool City Region.
Over 10,000 People Use Reopened Dartmoor Line In First Two Weeks
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the Dartmoor Line.
These are the first three paragraphs of the press release.
More than 10,000 people have travelled on the Dartmoor Line in the first two weeks since its reopening.
The line reopened for regular year-round, all-week passenger services on Saturday 20 November and demand for the trains linking Okehampton and Exeter has continued to remain high.
The reopening of the Dartmoor Line is the first of the Government’s Restoring Your Railway schemes, made possible thanks to over £40 million Government investment.
All concerned must be very pleased, especially as it was delivered £10 million under budget and within nine months, ahead of time.
I described my first use of the new route to Okehampton in A Few Hours In Okehampton, where I came to this conclusion.
Exeter and Okehampton is a well-thought out reopening, that will be welcomed in the South West of England.
It would appear the passenger numbers confirm my conclusion.
Since my visit to Okehampton, I have wondered, whether the apparent success of the Okehampton reopening, would have any other effects.
In the December 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled South West Seeks More Reopenings, with a sub-title of Okehampton Service Could Be A Precursor.
The article details a number of projects.
Marsh Barton Station
A new Marsh Barton station is under construction and has a December 2022 opening date.
Edginswell Station
A new Edginswell station is being planned to serve Torbay Hospital on the Riviera Line, with a possible opening of 2025.
Collumpton And Wellington Stations
The last budget chipped in five million, so that preferred options and a full business case can be developed for these two new stations.
- Collumpton station will probably be developed at the site of the old station, which is close to Collumpton Services on the M5.
- Wellington station will probably be on a new site at Longworth Farm, where five hundred houses are being developed.
The Modern Railways article also says this about housing.
Thousands of houses are expected to be built in both towns in the next decade, making provision of railway stations highly desirable to avoid soaring road congestion.
Network Rail and Great Western Railway also seem to be experimenting with different service patterns through the two stations.
- Both hourly and two-hourly services have been tested.
- In the December 2021 timetable there is now a two-hourly GWR Castle service over the Taunton and Exeter stretch, that will call at the two new stations, when they open.
- To have an hourly service there will also be a Taunton and Exeter shuttle.
This service would provide access to education and employment in Exeter, Taunton and Bristol.
The cost benefit ratio is above the Government’s limit for backing of two.
Opening of the two new stations is pencilled in for 2025.
Barnstaple And Axminster
The Modern Railways article also says this.
As part of the Devon Metro concept, Devon County Council aspires to extend further eastwards the hourly Barnstaple services that currently terminate at Exeter Central, perhaps as far as Axminster.
This would need track improvements East of Pinhoe station.
The current timings of the two sections are as follows.
- Exeter Central and Axminster – 37 minutes
- Exeter Central and Barnstaple – 74 minutes
These timings probably mean that a round trip between Axminster and Barnstaple can be done in a convenient four hours, so an hourly service would need four trains.
From sometime next year, when the frequency of the Exeter Central and Okehampton service becomes hourly, the services along the route will be as follows.
- Exeter St. Davids and Axminster – Hourly
- Exeter Central and Barnstaple – Hourly
- Exeter Central and Okehampton – Hourly
There is also a service, that runs every thirty minutes between Exmouth and Paignton via Exeter Central and Exeter St. Davids, Newton Abbot and Torquay.
The frequencies on the various sections would be as follows.
- Barnstaple and Crediton – One tph
- Okehampton and Crediton – One tph
- Crediton and Exeter St. Davids – Two tph
- Paignton and Exeter St. Davids – At least two tph
- Exeter St. Davids and Exeter Central – Five tph
- Exeter Central and Axminster – One tph
- Exeter Central and Exmouth – Two tph
Note.
- tph is trains per hour.
- Other services run between Exeter St. Davids and Paignton stations.
- In recent years a new station at Cranbrook has opened between Exeter Central and Axminster.
Extending the Barnstaple and Exeter Central service to Axminster would double the frequency on the Exeter Central and Axminster section.
Axminster station is shown in this Google Map.
Note.
- The station has two platforms.
- The station appears to have a bridge with lifts.
- The station has a good road connection and the parking could probably be extended.
Axminster station could certainly handle a fast train between London and Exeter, a stopping train to Barnstaple and all the passengers.
Devon Metro
It does appear that the services of the Devon Metro are coming together.
- Paignton and Exmouth is already running.
- Barnstaple and Exeter Central is already running.
- Okehampton and Exeter Central has just started.
- Exeter St. Davids and Taunton via new stations at Collumpton and Wellington is being planned.
- Barnstaple and Exeter Central needs to be extended to Axminster.
How many other cities in the UK could benefit from a metro of this quality?
Bere Alston And Tavistock
The Modern Railways article also says this.
Meanwhile, further west on the former Southern network, restoration of services from Bere Alston to Tavistock has long been proposed, giving Tavistock a rail link to Plymouth. Christian Irwin, Network Rail’s Industry Programme Manager (South West), who oversaw the Okehampton reopening that came in early and underbudget, says he is keen to repeat the trick on the Tavistock route.
It is probably more difficult than at Okehampton.
- The trackbed is mainly intact, but the track has been lifted.
- The track to be laid is shorter than at Okehampton.
- Two structures at the Southern end need to be replaced.
- A new station needs to be built at Tavistock.
Devon County Council seems to be in control of the land needed.
Proposed services seem to be as follows.
- Plymouth and Gunnislake via Bere Alston – One train per two hours (tp2h)
- Plymouth and Tavistock via Bere Alston – One tph
Overall it looks like the Tavistock project will be more expensive than that at Okehampton, but there would appear to be more contributions from developers.
Devon County Council are hoping that the Tavistock link could be build in the next decade.
Tavistock And Okehampton
After the reconnection of Tavistock to the National Rail network, the council would hope to complete the link between Tavistock and Okehampton.
This would give the following benefits.
- Improved public transport connectivity in West Devon and North Cornwall.
- Improve revenue potential at Okehampton and Tavistock stations.
- Create an easier freight route.
- Create an alternative route, if the coastal route is closed.
It is a challenging project, but I feel it will be possible by perhaps 2035.
Headbolt Lane Station Tipped For Go-Ahead
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Place North West.
This is the first paragraph.
Knowsley Council’s December planning committee is expected to approve Network Rail’s plans for a new station in Kirkby.
The article also says that the station could open by Spring 2023.
I wonder, if Liverpudlians will create Headbolt Lane station in record time, as they did a few miles down the line at Maghull North station, which I wrote about in How To Build A Station In Nine Months.
If they do open in early 2023, it is likely to be the first new rail line in the UK, that has been designed to be run by battery-electric trains.
As Liverpudlians like to be first, I would expect that this station will open by Spring 2023. Judging by Network Rail’s performance on bringing the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton station back into service, I don’t suspect it is an impossible dream.
A Few Hours In Okehampton
Today, I took a trip by train to Okehampton and spent a couple of hours in the town.
I took the 10:04 from Paddington and after changing at Exeter St. Davids, I arrived in Okehampton at 13:11
Coming back, I took the 15:24 from Okehampton and arrived in Paddington at 18:24.
So the journeys took about three hours.
These pictures show Okehampton station.
Note.
- The train was two Class 150 trains coupled together.
- I suspect the platform is long enough to take a GWR Castle train
- The bus in the pictures is the 118, of which more later.
- It looked like a buffet was under construction.
- The new train information displays.
I took the bus down to Okehampton, where I took these pictures, as I walked around.
Note, that the first three pictures show the museum and the cycle works cafe, where I had a coffee and a delicious gluten-free flapjack.
I have a few thoughts on my journey, both now and in the future.
The 118 Bus
The 118 bus runs between Tavistock and Okehampton station.
- It serves the villages in between.
- It meets the trains from Exeter and takes them to Okehampton Town Centre.
- It picks people up from Okehampton Town Centre and takes them to the station just before the trains leave for Exeter.
- It accepts contactless payment.
It is a well-designed bus route that links passengers with the trains to and from Exeter.
Many other towns could follow Okehampton’s lead.
Walking Between Station And The Town Centre
I could certainly walk down the hill, but one of the locals said that it rather a stiff walk up the hill that takes about fifteen minutes, if you’re up to it. He also felt a taxi would be about a fiver.
Could A Battery Train Work The Service between Exeter And Okehampton Station?
Consider.
- It is 24.8 miles between Exeter St. David and Okehampton stations.
- It is a rise of under 200 metres.
- The Class 150 trains climbed the hill at around 30 mph, but in places it was lower.
- Hitachi, Stadler and Vivarail are talking about battery-electric trains with a range of fifty miles.
- I was talking to one of the Great Western Railway staff and he said in the days of steam, the trains used to roll down the hill into Exeter.
- There is the 18 MW Den Brook Wind Farm close to Okehampton.
- With regenerative braking rolling down would recharge the batteries.
I suspect, that designing a battery-electric train to climb the hill is possible.
My rough estimate says that a battery of around 500 KWh could be enough.
Are The People Of Devon Going To Use The Train?
I took these pictures as I joined the train back to Exeter.
The people were a mixture of those arriving from Exeter and those returning to Exeter, but most seats were taken on the way back.
I can see Great Western Railway running Castles, like the one in the picture, for services on this route in the Summer, both to attract passengers and to cope with their numbers.
Local Reaction
I talked to several local people and they were all pleased that the service has been reinstated.
The only complaint was that it should have happened sooner.
Is A Day Trip Possible?
Suppose you live in London and your mother or other close relative lives in Okehampton.
Would it be possible to be able to visit them on their birthday for a good lunch?
Consider.
- At the present time, trains from London, connect to the Okehampton service about every two hours.
- The first connecting service leaves Paddington at 08:04.
- Trains take around three hours between Paddington and Okehampton.
- From probably May 2022, there will be hourly connections to Okehampton.
- The last London train leaves Exeter at 20:46.
If you wanted to be a real hero, you could always take the Night Riviera back to London, which leaves Exeter at 0100.
I would say that if they planned it properly, a day trip from London to Okehampton by train, is feasible for a special occasion.
Will Great Western Railway Ever Run Direct Trains Between London Paddington And Okehampton?
I doubt this would be a regular service but I do believe that it is technically feasible.
- Trains would need to reverse at Exeter St. Davids.
- Trains would probably be limited to five car Class 802 trains.
- Okehampton station could probably accommodate a five-car Class 802 train.
- I estimate that the journey time would be a few minutes under three hours.
It should be noted that Paignton gets around three trains per day (tpd) from Paddington.
It might be that if the demand was there, a few trains per day could be run to and from London, by splitting and joining with the Paignton service at Exeter St. Davids.
- If both services were run by five-car trains, there would be a ten-car service to and from London.
- It certainly looks that GWR wouldn’t have to spend a great deal to implement the service.
- The extra capacity of the five-car train might help commuters into Exeter.
It is likely that this service wouldn’t run until Okehampton Parkway station is opened, which would attract travellers from the West, who would arrive at the station along the A 30 dual-carriageway
I can certainly see a service leaving Okehampton at around seven in the morning and getting into London about ten, paired with a late afternoon/evening train home.
It should be noted, that First Group with their Lumo service between London and Edinburgh, seem to negotiate for paths that create revenue.
But I do wonder, if one of the reasons , that Great Western Railway, Network Rail, Devon County Council, the Department of Transport and the Government were all very much in favour of reopening this route, is that it creates a valid alternative route between London and Plymouth and all places to the West, should the main route via Dawlish be breached again by the sea.
Okehampton station and the future Okehampton Parkway station are both close to the A30 which would allow express coaches to Plymouth and all over West Devon and Cornwall to bypass the trouble.
Hopefully, because the alterative route has been enabled the worst won’t happen.
Conclusion
Exeter and Okehampton is a well-thought out reopening, that will be welcomed in the South West of England.
Is The Okehampton Effect Starting?
This article on the Tavistock Times Gazette is entitled Hop Aboard The 118 For Town And Village Connection To Rail.
These are the first three paragraphs.
County council chiefs have confirmed they have launched a new bus service to link residents in Tavistock to Okehampton’s restored railway line.
From Saturday, Service 118 will link Tavistock to Okehampton, via Mary Tavy and Lydford, to provide an integrated connection to the rail services between Okehampton and Exeter during the day. The service is part of a bigger project to improve public transport in Devon.
The move comes as Devon County Council pushes ahead with plans to get trains rolling again in Tavistock — but in the opposite direction.
Note.
- Tavistock has almost twice the population of Okehampton.
- Okehampton and Tavistock are about sixteen miles apart.
- Buses will take about forty minutes.
- The railway from Tavistock could eventually go to Plymouth via the existing Bere Alston station and the Tamar Valley Line.
This bus route will complete a circular route between Exeter and Plymouth around Dartmoor.
Devon does seem to be getting itself ready for the next phase of rail development in the county.
But does Devon as the birthplace of those great mariners, Chichester, Drake, Gilbert, Grenville and Raleigh, follow in their footsteps and plan things well and get it done?
My maternal grandmother was born in Dalston of two Devonian parents.
Just before the Second World War my mother asked her if she was prepared for the inevitable war.
My grandmother’s reply was as follows.
I got caught out in the First War, so I’ve got a hundredweight of sugar and a hundredweight of jam in the cellar.
Was that her Devonian genes shining through?
Devon is certainly planning for the future at Okehampton.
- There are plans for an Okehampton Parkway station, where the railway crosses the A30, which I wrote about in Work Begins On Okehampton Parkway Station.
- There is this new bus route.
- Will there be more housing in Okehampton?
- There will be developments linked to tourism.
I believe the Okehampton Effect is starting.
The Dartmoor Line Is Back: ‘I Can’t Imagine Why Anyone Would Want To Arrive On The Moor Any Other Way’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
The article is in the travel section and describes what you might do if you took a train to Okehampton.
I wondered how many of the other Saturday papers and web sites have got articles about Okehampton and the railway.
So I searched and found these.
- The Guardian talks of Devon joy and a financial boost for the town.
- ITV says it will boost tourism and give access to education and work for local people.
- Devon Live also talks of joy and a feat of engineering.
- The Tavistock Times Gazette talks of a new bus service between Tavistock and the railway at Okehampton.
It’s a much more optimistic situation compared to that portrayed in this article in The Times from 2011, which was entitled Okehampton Workers Living On Food Parcels After Business Closures.
Trains Restart On Dartmoor Rail Line After 49 Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This shows what Network Rail can do, if they pull out all the stops.
I have said this before in Railway Restored: Regular Trains To Run On Dartmoor Line For First Time In 50 Years.
Network Rail have set themselves a good precedent to open the line in nine months and £10 million under budget.
But it could turn out to be one of the most significant days in the development of the railways of the UK.
Well done! Network Rail!
Here’s to the next reopening!
The Anonymous Widower 