Okehampton Line: reopening weekend (20-21 November 2021)

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Today a pair of 150s are working the two-hourly passenger service, with another pair running the route every other hour as if it was hourly, except this second pair is not in service. Training and preparation for hourly next year, I assume.

 

[Brush 4]

Only 1 platform is in use, P3. The others are not connected at the Exeter end.

Here is the Opening day timetable......

Opening day - your guide - The Dartmoor Line

What a great day for Devon and the network.

 

[Phillipimo]

The first trains are running on time, with 4 car class 150s operating today.
Well done to all involved!

 

[RPI]

The first trains are running on time, with 4 car class 150s operating today.
Well done to all involved!

And from what I can see no short formations on the rest of the Devon Metro either

 

[cats_five]

Report on this on BBC1 Breakfast at about 8:20am

 

[HamworthyGoods]

And from what I can see no short formations on the rest of the Devon Metro either

There’s currently the spare St Ives set to help out.

 

[trainmania100]

Some footage

 

[RPI]

There’s currently the spare St Ives set to help out.

Thats one out of the four sets

A Weymouth diagram is also short formed that ends up freeing two vehicles to Exeter

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Coming soonish, Bere Alston to Tavistock.......

I'll have a pint of what you're on please!

Scoping Opinion submitted in 2014, some late responses to that in January 2015. Then tumbleweed.

 

[yorksrob]

Absolutely great to see this reopening happen !

Can't wait to take a trip on it next time I'm down there !

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Thats one out of the four sets

A Weymouth diagram is also short formed that ends up freeing two vehicles to Exeter

The Weymouth double class 158 diagram is short-formed due to the loss of 158763 in the recent incident and 158762 still under repair from the same incident. Nothing to do with the opening of Okehampton.

The base class 150 workings since May 2021 have always had a single 150 diagrammed for the Okehampton workings, this has been spare at Exeter/covering for other stock until it’s been needed for Okehampton. The other unit to strengthen to 4 cars on the first weekend is the St Ives strengthening set.

 

[185143]

Only two sets needed.
The Weymouth double class 158 diagram is short-formed due to the loss of 158763 in the recent incident and 158762 still under repair from the same incident. Nothing to do with the opening of Okehampton.

The base class 150 workings since May 2021 have always had a single 150 diagrammed for the Okehampton workings, this has been spare at Exeter/covering for other stock until it’s been needed for Okehampton. The other unit to strengthen to 4 cars on the first weekend is the St Ives strengthening set.

Back in service, was running yesterday on a Cardiff-Portsmouth.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Back in service, was running yesterday on a Cardiff-Portsmouth.

Excellent that’s great that one is back. SPM have done some good work there! I’d missed that was back.

 

[Requeststop]

Booked a Truro - Okehampton return for Friday 26th. Really looking forward to covering a line I last recall travelling on fifty seven years ago. Like everyone in the south west, hoping and hoping that some time soon we can travel through from Okehampton to Bere Alston once again. We never will if Tory promises continue the way they are.

 

[185143]

Excellent that’s great that one is back. SPM have done some good work there! I’d missed that was back.

I only knew as a result of shouting swear words on a HST yesterday, two (of three) required GWR 158s, 158745 and 158762, were together on the following service. My other winner was 158798 which I've had today.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Absolutely great to see this reopening happen !

Can't wait to take a trip on it next time I'm down there !

It will be next summer for me and the family, should make getting to North Cornwall for our holiday definitely so much easier and a bit quicker also. Normally its off the XC service at St Davids where we then collect a rental car then have to battle through the city traffic to join the A30; but now we shall use the Okehampton service and avoid all that and then collect our car on arrival there, can’t wait!

 

[yorksrob]

It will be next summer for me and the family, should make getting to North Cornwall for our holiday definitely so much easier and a bit quicker also. Normally its off the XC service at St Davids where we then collect a rental car then have to battle through the city traffic to join the A30; but now we shall use the Okehampton service and avoid all that and then collect our car on arrival there, can’t wait!

Ah yes, that's a long way. It's a big gap in rail coverage without the Okehampton line !

 

[Class172]

Today a pair of 150s are working the two-hourly passenger service, with another pair running the route every other hour as if it was hourly, except this second pair is not in service. Training and preparation for hourly next year, I assume.

The other pair of units (150232+150261) were in passenger service, just unadvertised in the timetable (though I believe they may have been advertised later in the day). As a result these services were significantly quieter than the 2Kxx/2Exx that were officially advertised.

Everything seemed to go smoothly this morning and all staff were very friendly, so congratulations to them on a successful opening day.

 

[70014IronDuke]

The other pair of units (150232+150261) were in passenger service, just unadvertised in the timetable (though I believe they may have been advertised later in the day). As a result these services were significantly quieter than the 2Kxx/2Exx that were officially advertised.

Everything seemed to go smoothly this morning and all staff were very friendly, so congratulations to them on a successful opening day.

Excellent news all round. Well done to all involved ..... from the very beginning.

 

[GarethW]

A really good news story - well done etc.

 

[Brush 4]

I'll have a pint of what you're on please!

Scoping Opinion submitted in 2014, some late responses to that in January 2015. Then tumbleweed.

It is still a DCC plan

Funding bid submitted for rail reinstatement business case - News (devon.gov.uk)

They were successful, in Round 3 in October. It's the bureaucracy that takes time, so much time.......

 

[John Luxton]

November 20, 2021 is exactly 42 years and 1 month since I first travelled the line on October 20, 1979 on Wirral Railway Circle Atlantic Coast Express to Meldon and Meeth from Chester. This was around the time I first read TWE Roche's book The Withered Arm.

Since 1979 I have used the Sunday shuttles and the former heritage operation when in the area but I never dreamed I would see the service resume and was pleased to be on the first train out of Okehampton today.

This is yet another impossible railway dream of my youth to become a reality and join the likes of Welsh Highland and Lynton & Barnstaple in being reborn.

Now on to Tavistock and Bere Alston and then finally the missing link hopefully before I get beamed upstairs.

 

[David Goddard]

Great start to the new service, with an hourly service for most of the day. Look forward to taking a trip next year.

Looks like they ran four car trains all day, apart from 261 doing its last run (2Z12 1749 EXD-OKE and 2Z81 1832 return) on its own, with 232 commandeered to cover for an IET between Exeter and Paignton, before going off to Laira

 

[cats_five]

Amused to see the headboard was just the right shape to go on a smokebox...

 

[davidgiles]

Interesting (and encouraging!) to see that an hourly service ran for much of the opening day. Though I thought NR had indicated that further infrastructure enhancement was required before an hourly service could be run, so was something temporarily lashed up to achieve that yesterday or is it more down to rolling stock availability that an hourly service will not/cannot be run until next year?

 

[RPI]

Interesting (and encouraging!) to see that an hourly service ran for much of the opening day. Though I thought NR had indicated that further infrastructure enhancement was required before an hourly service could be run, so was something temporarily lashed up to achieve that yesterday or is it more down to rolling stock availability that an hourly service will not/cannot be run until next year?

I believe, though happy to be corrected, that some of the temporary speed restrictions were able to be lifted earlier than anticipated, availability of stock is the other issue before it becomes permanent.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I believe, though happy to be corrected, that some of the temporary speed restrictions were able to be lifted earlier than anticipated, availability of stock is the other issue before it becomes permanent.

Spot on - there was no guarantee the line speed improvements to allow you to get Crediton - Okehampton - Crediton within an hour to allow an hourly service would be ready for the opening date / December change. In the end NR delivered these early but the lack of stock through the delayed 769 introduction is now the limiting factor.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Given the small population base I fear these services will be little used once the initial interest has tailed off. The business case seems to have been padded out with a lot of evidence-free guff about green tourism and the like and it's hard to see the numbers stacking up.

A flop here would make future far more viable reopenings less likely so I'm afraid it could be a case of be careful what you wish for.

I would be very happy to be proved wrong!

 

[RPI]

Given the small population base I fear these services will be little used once the initial interest has tailed off. The business case seems to have been padded out with a lot of evidence-free guff about green tourism and the like and it's hard to see the numbers stacking up.

A flop here would make future far more viable reopenings less likely so I'm afraid it could be a case of be careful what you wish for.

I would be very happy to be proved wrong!

Whilst I don't believe it will be a flop, I think that it certainly won't be as busy as some are making out, Okehampton Parkway will make a positive difference though I feel.

Crediton having two trains an hour into Exeter could be a draw, the town seems to have grown every time I work a train out on that line!

 

[alf]

Re RPI’s comment about Crediton growing, which it certainly has:
One of my long gone Crediton relatives, a retired farmer, used
to say with pride,

“Crediton was a market town when Exeter was a furzy down.”
Furzy meant covered in gorse.

I hope the mid winter passenger figures don’t plummet.
Hopefully the excellent nationwide TV & press publicity may have encouraged many people to pencil in a rail trip when the weather warms.

Parkway, if built, will boost locals use of the line.
Not much parking at the town station & it is a challenging slog up hill to the railway.

Parkway would be on the same contour as the Main Street.
But will Parkway add too much time to the round trip & thwart an hourly service?