Okehampton railway station

Okehampton
Okehampton station in 2019
Location	Okehampton, West Devon, Devon England
Coordinates	50°43′57″N 3°59′47″W / 50.73244°N 3.99632°W / 50.73244; -3.99632Coordinates: 50°43′57″N 3°59′47″W / 50.73244°N 3.99632°W / 50.73244; -3.99632
Grid reference	SX592944
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	3 (Only 1 in use)
Other information
Station code	OKE
History
Original company	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
1871	Opened
1972	Closed
1997	Heritage services
2021	National rail service resumes
Passengers
2016/17	5,926
2017/18	4,984
2018/19	5,320
2019/20	6,434
2020/21	6
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Okehampton railway station is a terminus railway station on the Dartmoor line serving the town of Okehampton in Devon, England. The station closed to regular traffic in 1972, but heritage and occasional mainline services ran from 1997 to 2019. Regular railway services resumed in November 2021.

History[]

Okehampton station looking towards Tavistock and Meldon Quarry in July 1969. The Exeter train is 'running round' in the distance.

The station opened in 1871 when the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) extended its line from Sampford Courtenay. Services were extended further west to Lydford with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874.^[1] Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway route to Plymouth, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth saw Okehampton become an important junction with lines to Padstow and Bude as well as Plymouth. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express and Devon Belle all used the route. From 1961 to 1964 it was the terminus of a car-carrying train from Surbiton.

With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the line to Bude was put forward for closure as was part of the Exeter to Plymouth Line which was to be cut back to Okehampton.^[1] The local press were surprised at this decision, since many small towns had their railway services cut, yet Okehampton survived with a population under 4,000. Its survival prompted questions as to why the line should remain open when others, such as the Avocet Line which saw far more traffic, were proposed for closure. It was said that at the time Okehampton had about 50 regular users per day and a handful of season ticket holders.^[2]

The Avocet Line was saved from closure, but Okehampton lost its passenger services from 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail ballast quarry at Meldon, three miles from Okehampton,^[1] which had an output of 300,000 tons per year.^[3] The line to the quarry closed in 2011.^[1]

Stationmasters[]

1997 to 2019[]

A heritage train operated by a Class 205 in 2005

As part of a local partnership scheme initiated and led by Devon County Council, Okehampton station was re-opened in 1997 and a Youth Hostel opened in the old goods shed, providing an activity centre as well.^[14] The Dartmoor Railway operated heritage passenger services from the station, running to Sampford Courtenay and Meldon. A summer Sunday service from Exeter to Okehampton operated as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.

The station building, which was used by Devon Training for Skills after 1972, was restored and reopened incorporating an independently owned model shop and café. After temporary closure during a change in railway ownership in 2008, the cafe was reopened by the Friends of Dartmoor Railway but closed in 2019. A craft centre previously operated on one of the platforms. This now houses a small exhibition and museum showing the history of the railway and station.^{[clarification needed]}

British American Railway Services Ltd, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company said it would develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.^[15] This was never achieved. The last heritage service operated on 24 December 2019.

2021 reopening[]

In November 2017, the Government included the reopening of the line from Exeter to Okehampton as part of its plans to expand the network;^[16] Chris Grayling, the secretary of state for transport, wrote to local MPs in January 2018 to inform them of the details.^[17] In January 2020, British American Railway Services announced that due to financial problems, it intended to sell all its British operations, including the Dartmoor Railway.^[18] The United Kingdom government's November 2020 Spending Review included a commitment to restore passenger services and £40,000,000 was allocated for reopening the Dartmoor line in the March 2021 government budget.^[19]

It was announced on 19 March 2021 that Okehampton station would reopen with regular services by the end of the year, funded as part of the Government's Restoring Your Railway programme.^[20] Ownership of the northern half (platform 3) of the station was transferred from Devon County Council to Network Rail in July 2021 for £1. The council retains control of the rest of the station (platforms 1 and 2) and is responsible for maintenance of the footbridge.^[21] The station and the line reopened on 20 November.^[22][23]

Although Okehampton is not a staffed station it has a ticket machine, help point, public address system, information screens, CCTV and WiFi. GWR is working with the local community to add new facilities including a cafe, Dartmoor National Park visitor centre, shop, and toilets.^[24][25]

Services[]

All services at Okehampton are operated by Great Western Railway.

The station is currently served by one train every two hours in each direction to and from Exeter St David's with five trains per day on weekdays only continuing to Exeter Central.^[26]

In 2022, the service is planned to increase to one train per hour in each direction.^[20]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Crediton		Great Western Railway Dartmoor Line		Terminus
	Disused railways
Maddaford Moor Halt		British Rail Western Region Bude Branch		Terminus
Bridestowe		British Rail Western Region Exeter to Plymouth Line		Sampford Courtenay
Meldon Viaduct		Dartmoor Railway 1997–2019

Transport links[]

The Devon Coast to Coast Cycleway Route 27 created by Sustrans passes the station.

A dedicated service 118 rail link bus service links Okehampton station with the town centre and Tavistock. It is timed to connect with train services at the station.^[27]

Future plans[]

Both Railfuture and Anthony Steen (who was MP for Totnes at the time) have proposed the reinstatement of the line between Okehampton and Bere Alston, thereby reconnecting the station with Plymouth.^[28] The reopening of the link would restore the continuous circuit of railway linking the towns around Dartmoor. On 18 March 2008, Devon County Council backed a separate proposal by developers to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that included reopening part of this route from Bere Alston to a new railway station in Tavistock.^[29]

It is argued^{[by whom?]} that the line's reopening would provide an alternative route to Plymouth and the Cornish Main Line in the event of engineering work or storms on the sea wall near Dawlish, although that would entail a reversal at Plymouth for trains continuing to Cornwall. Reopening the line would also maintain rail links in the long-term should the line around Dawlish succumb to the sea, as it did on 5 February 2014.^[30][31]

References[]

Citations

Sources

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okehampton railway station.

• Train times and station information for Okehampton railway station from National Rail
• Dartmoor Line reopening 2021 project website
• Dartmoor Railway Supporters Association website