Future Options
Both Railfuture and the former MP for Totnes, Anthony Steen, have in the past proposed the reinstatement of the line between Okehampton and Bere Alston, thereby reconnecting the station with Plymouth. 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 Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that includes reopening part of this route from Bere Alston to a new railway station in Tavistock.
It is argued 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. This would however entail a reversal at Plymouth for trains continuing to Cornwall. This would also maintain rail links in the long-term should the line around Dawlish succumb to the sea.
The Dartmoor Railway is proposing to restore the interchange at Yeoford where its line meets the Barnstaple to Exeter Tarka Line. The company is also looking to create a railhead at Okehampton which would serve the timber industry and thereby save 50,000 lorry journeys per year.
British American Railway Services Ltd, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.
Read more about this topic: Okehampton Railway Station
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