A COMMUNITY celebration marked the second anniversary of the reopening of the Dartmoor Line on November 20. The revived route between Exeter and Okehampton has proved to be a great success since reopening in 2021, attracting more than 550,000 passenger journeys – far greater than originally predicted.
Train operator Great Western Railway, support group Okerail, and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership held an event at Okehampton station to celebrate the positive impact the reopening has had on the local community. In attendance was the Mayor of Okehampton, Coun Allenton Fisher; the Mayor of West Devon, Coun Lynn Daniels; representatives from OkeRail; the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership; the Dartmoor Railway Association; GWR; Network Rail; and other partners involved in reopening the line.
The route was closed in 1972 in the wake of the rationalisation of the railway network but remained in use for freight traffic to Meldon Quarry. Okehampton station was complete but disused. In more recent times, part of the line was used as a heritage and community railway but following the collapse of Iowa-Pacific backed operator British American Railway Services, the line faced an uncertain future until Network Rail took over ownership of the route and began its revival.
Chair of OkeRail and Okehampton town councillor Dr Michael Ireland said: “The hug
