Today at Okehampton station, we had a small celebration on the 2nd anniversary of the service commencing. It was confirmed by GWR that in the two years, more than 550,000 passenger journeys on the Okehampton (Dartmoor) line alone.

GWR, and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP) held a special birthday party, with members of OkeRail to celebrate the positive impact the reopening has had on the local community.

In attendance was the Mayor of Okehampton, Cllr Allenton Fisher; the Mayor of West Devon, Cllr Lynn Daniels; representatives from OkeRail; the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP); the Dartmoor Railway Association; Great Western Railway; Network Rail, and other partners involved in reopening the line.

Matt Barnes, GWR Head of Strategic Service Development, said: “It has been two years since we and our partners reopened the Dartmoor Line. This anniversary, with more than half a million journeys now made, is testament to the hard work of so many who campaigned for the line’s reinstatement, and the benefits of investing in local transport.”

He added, “The continued demand shows just how important good rail connections are for the community, and the economies, they serve.”

Dr Michael Ireland, Chair of OkeRail and an Okehampton Town Councillor, was a leading campaigner for the reopening for many years and organised a number of surveys, events and passenger counts on the then Summer Sunday service to help make the case for the full reopening.  He has worked hard since on making the most of the new service to the benefit of the town and wider area.

Dr Ireland said:  “The huge success of the Dartmoor Line is a great delight to us all. I am very proud of the role I and other local people and organisations such as OkeRail and the Dartmoor Railway Association have played in both getting the line reopened and making it such an asset to the town and the wider area it serves.”

Okehampton Station itself was recently awarded “Small Station of the Year” at the National Rail Awards and is shortlisted in the forthcoming National Railway Heritage Awards. The line itself and the reopening project have won several awards which are on display in a cabinet at the station.

Thanks to DCRP for some images and allowing me to use part of their press release. You can read the full press release here.