Countdown begins as Okehampton Interchange station prepares to open
The new £15 million Okehampton Interchange station will be officially opened this week before welcoming its first passengers, marking another major milestone for the Dartmoor Line
Okehampton Interchange station will be officially opened this week, marking the latest milestone for the Dartmoor Line ahead of passenger services beginning on Saturday 1 August.
Network Rail, Great Western Railway (GWR), Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council have confirmed that an official opening ceremony will take place on Friday (31 July).
A special train carrying invited guests and stakeholders will arrive at the new station from Exeter St Davids, with representatives from Network Rail, GWR, Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council available for interviews.
The Moorlander will be attending the event and will bring readers coverage, photographs and reaction from the ceremony.
The new ‘Interchange’ station has been built on the eastern side of Okehampton, providing an additional stop on the Dartmoor Line alongside the existing Okehampton station.
Located around two minutes from the A30, Okehampton Interchange has been designed to improve access to the rail network for people living in West Devon, Torridge and North Cornwall.
It includes a 200-space car park, a bus interchange, cycle parking, electric vehicle charging points and step-free access via lifts and a footbridge.
The station is expected to make it easier for residents to travel by rail to Exeter and destinations across the wider network.
It will also serve the growing eastern side of Okehampton and help ease pressure on the existing station's car park.
The £15million project was funded by the UK Government (£13.4m), Devon County Council (£1.4m), West Devon Borough Council (£120,000) and Network Rail (£25,000).
In a statement announcing the opening ceremony, Network Rail said: "Okehampton Interchange is the newest addition to the Dartmoor Line, providing improved access to rail services connecting communities in West Devon, Torridge and North Cornwall with Exeter and destinations across the wider rail network.
"The station complements the existing Okehampton station and builds on strong community backing for the reopening of the Dartmoor Line, which saw the return of daily passenger services in 2021, more than 50 years after regular services were withdrawn."
Passenger services from Okehampton Interchange are due to begin on Saturday 1 August.