Restoring your Railway: passengers to see Dartmoor Line services doubled

Railway between Exeter and Okehampton offers year-round trains for the first time in almost 50 years, boosting local community and regional economy.

From 15 May 2022, services on the popular Dartmoor Line will be doubled – giving passengers travelling between Exeter and Okehampton the option to travel more frequently with hourly trains.

The line reopened last November, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years and is part of the government’s £500 million manifesto commitment to ‘Restore Your Railways’.

With more frequent services between Okehampton and Exeter, the upgraded Dartmoor Line offers new links for work, study and leisure travel. It will benefit students heading to the colleges in Exeter, as well as tourists travelling to Dartmoor, easing congestion on local roads and helping boost the local economy.

The line was the first to reopen under the flagship programme and was fully restored in just 9 months. It was delivered £10 million under budget, transforming a mothballed former freight railway to regular passenger services.

The restored line has been hugely popular, with more than 50,000 journeys undertaken in the first 20 weeks since the line reopened, more than double the number predicted. Passenger numbers at Crediton have also increased by 39% against pre-pandemic levels.

The huge success of the Dartmoor Line shows that when you get the service right the public will respond with increased demand.

This is one example of the bright future in store for our railways as we begin to reform the sector in the run-up to the creation of Great British Railways. Put the customer first and you’ll get the results.