The re-opening of Okehampton station on the GWR route, Devon took place today with the RT Honorable Grant Shapps, Transport Minister as the guest to officially open the line. Photographs by Jack Boskett
The re-opening of Okehampton station on the GWR route, Devon took place today with the RT Honorable Grant Shapps, Transport Minister as the guest to officially open the line. Photographs by Jack Boskett
By Mike Rego
At 7.30am on Saturday, 20th November, the first regular daily scheduled passenger train departed from Okehampton railway station to Exeter after an absence of 49 years.
The train, a four-coach Class 150 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) left Exeter St Davids at 6.32am and arrived at Okehampton at 8 minutes past 7. As the train drew in to platform 3, the Hatherleigh Silver Band started up on platform 2 and the first arrival of the newly re-instated daily service drew in to rapturous applause from passengers and railway staff alike. Many had been there since before 6.00am in order to ride on the first train out since the last regular daily service finished on 3rd June 1972. Others were there just to witness or photograph this historic event.
The excitement on the platform was palpable, with railway enthusiasts, local inhabitants, television and radio crews, Network Rail and GWR staff all wanting to make sure that they were part of this momentous occasion. This all follows eleven months of re-laying and preparing the line, which with eleven miles of new track, 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast came in ahead of schedule and under budget! It is not often that one sees passengers alighting from a train and fist-pumping the air with a sense of achievement, and railway staff and awaiting passengers applauding with delight.
Whilst passengers were alighting from and boarding the train, Network Rail and GWR staff were giving out flags and timetables, children were being given special packs of stickers and cut-out trains, even Okehampton Railway chocolate bars, and television and radio crews and journalists were trying to interview everyone and anyone, be they passengers or railway staff.
Okehampton railway station probably hasn’t seen such excitement, other than a Royal visit perhaps, since the original opening celebrations in 1871.
Admittedly the railway is still a shadow of its former self, when under the days of the Southern Railway the Atlantic Coast Express or ACE as it was known, would thunder down from Waterloo, hauled by a Bulleid 4-6-2 ‘light pacific’ West Country or Battle of Britain class steam locomotive, separating at Okehampton into separate trains for Plymouth or North Devon and Cornwall.
Thanks to the work of what was the Dartmoor Railway Supporters’ Association (now the Dartmoor Railway Association) and Devon County Council, the station buildings are still intact in much of their original Southern Railway colours, and although Devon County Council have now sold the northern part of the station to Network Rail, Network Rail are now maintaining the buildings in the same original style and currently renovating them with a new café, Dartmoor National Park Visitors Centre, community shop, heritage waiting room and toilet facilities. Although the station will be unstaffed, there is a card-only ticket machine, CCTV, customer help points and electronic information screens.
Initially there is a two-hourly daily service with trains terminating at Exeter St Davids, but it is planned that they will run through to Exeter Central from 12th December, with regular hourly services in the New Year and through services to Exmouth as well. Dartline Coaches run the connecting service 118 between Tavistock and Okehampton railway station via North Brentor, Lydford and Sourton, planned to co-ordinate with trains at Okehampton. The buses are wheelchair accessible, and the platform used by the GWR train services at Okehampton will also be accessible with step free access.
Pete Goodchild and Arthur Fielder, both rail enthusiasts from Callington, who were travelling on the first train out, like many believe and hope that the railway line will provide a boost to the local economy, ‘because the people who fought long and hard for this deserve it’.
Now that the line has finally re-opened to Okehampton, it opens up the possibility for further re-openings into what has been labelled as the railway desert of North Devon and Cornwall, as well as restoring the line to Plymouth as an alternative to the Dawlish sea wall route.
The following web links can provide more information on train services and the connecting bus services and related topics:
GWR website for timetables & buying tickets online: www.gwr.com OkeRAIL website: https://okerail.org.uk OkeRAIL Facebook page: www.facebook.com/okerail Website for Dartline Coaches (Tavistock to Okehampton via Lydford): https://moovitapp.com/index/en-gb/public_transportation-line-118-South_West-2106-1833612-28795861-0 Dartmoor Railway Association website: www.dartmoor-railway-association.org/aboutDRA Hatherleigh Silver Band: www.hatherleighsilverband.co.uk The Hummingbirds: www.thehummingbirdstrio.co.uk
