Okehampton Interchange
NEW: Get the lowdown on the £15m project which will see a brand new, purpose-built railway station built on the east side of Okehampton as an exciting next step for the Dartmoor Line.
The new station is additional to the existing Okehampton station, which will remain open.
Okehampton Interchange
NEW: Get the lowdown on the £15m project which will see a brand new, purpose-built railway station built on the east side of Okehampton as an exciting next step for the Dartmoor Line.
After nearly 50 years, daily passenger rail services have returned to Okehampton - now with hourly trains.
The Dartmoor Line opened on 20 November 2021, the first line to be reinstated under the Department for Transport’s 'Restoring your Railway' initiative.
Further work enabled an hourly service to begin on 15 May 2022. Network Rail, GWR and partners look forward to welcoming you aboard.
The train service
With a journey time of approximately 40 minutes between Okehampton and Exeter, the Dartmoor Line provides great opportunities for work, study and leisure travel.
HOURLY service
- There are hourly trains each way, seven days a week, between Okehampton, Crediton and Exeter St Davids, including services for daily commuters.
- Most services also call at Exeter Central, including the key peak services.
OKEHAMPTON - EXETER
in approx. 40 minutes
£8.80
Anytime Day Return
Connecting people & places
Okehampton
Home to Okehampton Castle and the Museum of Dartmoor Life, the town is one of the walking centres of Devon.
Exeter
Exeter is a key hub for the region. The new rail service provides access for education, work, shopping and other opportunities.
Gateway to Dartmoor
Enjoy great Dartmoor walks right from Okehampton station. The station has bike hire too and is at the start of The Granite Way, an 11-mile multi-use trail.
Gateway to Dartmoor
Enjoy great Dartmoor walks right from Okehampton station. The station also has bike hire and is at the start of The Granite Way, an 11-mile multi-use trail.
Crediton
All Dartmoor Line trains call at Crediton, providing a new public transport link with Okehampton. Change at Crediton for the Tarka Line to Barnstaple and North Devon. Rail users in Crediton also benefit from more trains into Exeter.
West Devon & North East Cornwall
The Dartmoor Line brings a large area including Hatherleigh, Holsworthy, Launceston and Bude much nearer the rail network. It also provides a new option for people from Tavistock travelling to Exeter and beyond. Buses to and from many local destinations call at Okehampton station.
Long-distance travel
A whole host of connections are available to the rest of the country from Exeter St Davids, opening up a wide range of onward travel options.
Stations
Okehampton
The station, which is unstaffed, retains its heritage feel while offering modern facilities:
- Card-only ticket machine
- Information screens and help points
- CCTV coverage
- Bike parking
- Pay and Display car park (£2 all day - pay by card, APCOA Connect app or phone)
- Bus connections at the station (118 Rail Link bus to/from Lydford and Tavistock, plus NEW bus connections to/from Bude and Launceston)
Amenities:
- Station cafe, the Bulleid Buffet
- Dartmoor National Park information centre
- Dartmoor Railway Association shop & museum
- Heritage waiting room, booking office and booking hall
- Toilets (open during cafe hours)
Accessibility
The platform used by GWR services is accessible, with step-free access from the street to the platform. You can book assistance with your journey with Passenger Assist.
New stations
Funding has been confirmed for the development of a new station, Okehampton Interchange, on the east of the town, easy to access from the A30. It will be in addition to the existing Okehampton station.
Other stations
Other stations on the route (such as Sampford Courtenay) are not planned to open under the current scheme.
The story of the line
History
The railway first arrived at Okehampton in 1871 as part of a series of extensions from Exeter into the northwest area of Devon. It later formed part of the Southern Railway network and became a key point for their flagship train ‘The Atlantic Coast Express’ which would serve such destinations as Plymouth, Bude, Wadebridge and Padstow, direct from London Waterloo.
Railway lines out to these towns were cut back in the 1960s as a result of the Beeching Report. The route to Tavistock and Plymouth closed in 1968. Services continued between Exeter and Okehampton for a few years but were later withdrawn in 1972.
Read more about the history of the line.
Campaign for reopening
Local people have long campaigned for the return of regular year round services between Okehampton and Exeter.
The campaign took a key step forward with the forming of the OkeRail Forum in 2014. An initiative of the County Council, this brought campaigners, council representatives and a range of other interested parties together to work towards reopening.
The popularity of the Summer Sunday trains coupled with the Forum's evidence gathering, data modelling, engagement with the rail franchising process and special trains to London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Weymouth all played a critical role in making the return of daily passenger services a reality.
Read more about the campaign for reopening.
Getting the line ready
Following the confirmation of government funding for the reopening of the line in March 2021, work got underway to upgrade the track between Okehampton and the former Coleford Junction, where the Dartmoor Line joins the existing line to Exeter.
As well as laying new track and sleepers, Network Rail engineers worked day and night on drainage, fencing, preparing the ground for the new railway and much more. Over 11 miles of new track was laid and 24,000 concrete sleepers installed. Watch behind-the-scenes footage in Network Rail's How We Did It video.
A huge success
The reopened Dartmoor Line has been a huge success, with more than 550,000 passenger journeys made in its first two years - far exceeding expectations.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman visited in November 2022 to celebrate the line's first anniversary (read story), and a year later partners marked the second birthday with a cake cutting at Okehampton station (pictured).
The project has also won a raft of rail industry awards.
As the next chapter for the line, there will be a new station - Okehampton Interchange - on the east of Okehampton, planned to open in spring 2026.
Community
The Dartmoor Line reopening follows much activity over many years by two local community groups in particular – OkeRail and the Dartmoor Railway Association (DRA).
We recognise the existing station buildings at Okehampton are a valuable community asset and have worked with partners to retain and enhance this facility.
In September 2022 the station building was opened. Visitors can now explore the Dartmoor Railway Association shop and museum, Dartmoor National Park information centre, and station cafe - known as the Bulleid Buffet.
Questions & answers
Did you know?
2021 was not just the year that the Dartmoor Line reopened. It was also the 150th anniversary of the railway first arriving in Okehampton in 1871, and the 70th anniversary of the creation of Dartmoor National Park.
The Dartmoor Line is the first branch line reopened under the government's 'Restoring Your Railway' initiative.
It is the longest line opened for regular passenger services in Devon and Cornwall for nearly 100 years, since the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Railway was opened between Torrington and Halwill in 1925.
The only other line opening in Devon and Cornwall between then and now was a short stretch between Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks station in 1975.
Latest news
Keep up to date with developments including the latest photos and videos.
History
Read the story of rail services to Dartmoor and of Okehampton station, opened in 1871.
Press
How to get in touch with media enquiries.