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Work on Okehampton Line: progress updates

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Mollman

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Technically Labour governments presided in England over new openings at Corby, and Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International on HS1, in Scotland over the Airdrie - Bathgate line in 2010, and before that Larkhall line in 2005, and in Wales the Ebbw Valley line in 2008.
Don't forget Brighouse in 2000
 
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Chris125

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I've just seen a video of the station - what happened to making sympathetic updates?
 

Brush 4

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Chris Grayling can I think, take credit for this, unless there was someone else behind the scenes who as it were, pulled levers. In Jan 2018, he instructed GWR to reopen the line. After nearly 3 years of silence, everyone sprang into action and got the line ready for use in just 9 months, a brilliant job. I'm still puzzled that this 'instruction' can bypass all of the many GRIPS, and various other obstacles and, overtake Portishead and E-W amongst others. Great result though.
 

REVUpminster

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first train to okehamton.JPG
2Z-- today. Listed on realtime as passenger even between Okehampton and Yeoford training runs. did Grant Shapps stay on it all the time.
 

zwk500

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Chris Grayling can I think, take credit for this, unless there was someone else behind the scenes who as it were, pulled levers. In Jan 2018, he instructed GWR to reopen the line. After nearly 3 years of silence, everyone sprang into action and got the line ready for use in just 9 months, a brilliant job. I'm still puzzled that this 'instruction' can bypass all of the many GRIPS, and various other obstacles and, overtake Portishead and E-W amongst others. Great result though.
I suspect the 3 years of silence was the various people involved moving through the GRIP process and obstacles, rather than doing nothing before bypassing the process.

Also worth noting that this is NOT a reopening of a closed railway line. It's an upgrade to active railway infrastructure, along with taking over another railway's station. The work required was still substantial, but the legal processes were orders of magnitude smaller than EWR.
 

Brissle Girl

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I suspect the 3 years of silence was the various people involved moving through the GRIP process and obstacles, rather than doing nothing before bypassing the process.

Also worth noting that this is NOT a reopening of a closed railway line. It's an upgrade to active railway infrastructure, along with taking over another railway's station. The work required was still substantial, but the legal processes were orders of magnitude smaller than EWR.
Or Portishead, where the DCO decision has been delayed for 6 months, apparently because the govt is concerned that environmentalists will call for a judical review if it approved, delaying it even further.
 

Starmill

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Chris Grayling can I think, take credit for this, unless there was someone else behind the scenes who as it were, pulled levers. In Jan 2018, he instructed GWR to reopen the line. After nearly 3 years of silence, everyone sprang into action and got the line ready for use in just 9 months, a brilliant job. I'm still puzzled that this 'instruction' can bypass all of the many GRIPS, and various other obstacles and, overtake Portishead and E-W amongst others. Great result though.
Network Rail acquired the infrastructure from a company in administration, and GWR already had some compliant rolling stock and a pool of train crew on hand. This is very rare indeed.

What it needed then was capital spend to bring it up to 75 miles / hour permissible speed, and the subsidy to pay for the unit and crew diagrams, plus training and other general administration such as planning a timetable, creating fares and doing publicity.

A completely different undertaking to other new openings. Even ones where legacy infrastructure is in place e.g. Fawley
 

A0wen

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Network Rail acquired the infrastructure from a company in administration, and GWR already had some compliant rolling stock and a pool of train crew on hand. This is very rare indeed.

What it needed then was capital spend to bring it up to 75 miles / hour permissible speed, and the subsidy to pay for the unit and crew diagrams, plus training and other general administration such as planning a timetable, creating fares and doing publicity.

A completely different undertaking to other new openings. Even ones where legacy infrastructure is in place e.g. Fawley

BIB - not sure that's right ?


Sixteen miles of railway have been purchased from Aggregate Industries by Network Rail. The stretch of track runs from Coleford Junction to Meldon Quarry.

Ownership of the northern part of the station at Okehampton has been transferred to Network Rail from Devon County Council for a £1 free so that the station can become part of the rail network and serve passengers once again.

I don't think Aggregate Industries are in administration ?
 
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mrd269697

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So glad this line is being effectively reopened (as other users have stated, it was not officially closed). Whilst it is in the middle of nowhere, seems silly not keep Sampford Courtenay a request stop - the platform is there - don’t see what else what needed to be done to it to make it passenger friendly - Might as well leave it open as an option if it’s already there.

what’s the news on Okehampton Parkway?

Also was there any proposal to reopen a station at either Bow or North Taunton. One station plonked at the end of an 18 or so mile stretch of line seems a little bleak for the long term future.

noticed they’ve added an extra departure (app. 0830) from Okehampton on Saturday due to expected high demand.
 

REVUpminster

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So glad this line is being effectively reopened (as other users have stated, it was not officially closed). Whilst it is in the middle of nowhere, seems silly not keep Sampford Courtenay a request stop - the platform is there - don’t see what else what needed to be done to it to make it passenger friendly - Might as well leave it open as an option if it’s already there.

what’s the news on Okehampton Parkway?

Also was there any proposal to reopen a station at either Bow or North Taunton. One station plonked at the end of an 18 or so mile stretch of line seems a little bleak for the long term future.

noticed they’ve added an extra departure (app. 0830) from Okehampton on Saturday due to expected high demand.
Okehampton Parkway is a developer paid station. it's on the edge of employment land and a lot of houses. The primary school has been built.
Not much has been developed. The station might spur it on and the station. Chicken and Egg situation.
There is literally nothing at North Tawton, Bow, and Samford Courtney stations. Yeoford has potential for more housing.
East Okehampton masterplan.JPG
 

Starmill

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BIB - not sure that's right ?


"In July 2021, Network Rail took over formal ownership of the line from Aggregate Industries, a successor company to Camas, which had been leasing it to the Dartmoor Railway since 1994. It also acquired the northern part of Okehampton station from Devon County Council for £1, leaving the southern side with the council.[1]"

I don't think Aggregate Industries are in administration ?
That was how it was phrased in the report in Modern Railways at the time. The Dartmoor Railway Company was put into administration so perhaps that's where the confusion arose.

Regardless of that however, the point still stands, which is that the land on which the line is situated was able to be acquired by Network Rail at no cost (or more accurately probably for £1; they bought the building at Okehampton from Devon County Council for £1).

For other schemes, such as the Northumberland line, many millions of pounds are being spent on acquisition of land.
 

The Ham

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That was how it was phrased in the report in Modern Railways at the time. The Dartmoor Railway Company was put into administration so perhaps that's where the confusion arose.

Regardless of that however, the point still stands, which is that the land on which the line is situated was able to be acquired by Network Rail at no cost (or more accurately probably for £1; they bought the building at Okehampton from Devon County Council for £1).

For other schemes, such as the Northumberland line, many millions of pounds are being spent on acquisition of land.

Probably still quite a bit more than £1 as there would be legal fees (probably a few thousand), but certainly next to nothing when compared to most other schemes.
 

507020

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That was how it was phrased in the report in Modern Railways at the time. The Dartmoor Railway Company was put into administration so perhaps that's where the confusion arose.

Regardless of that however, the point still stands, which is that the land on which the line is situated was able to be acquired by Network Rail at no cost (or more accurately probably for £1; they bought the building at Okehampton from Devon County Council for £1).

For other schemes, such as the Northumberland line, many millions of pounds are being spent on acquisition of land.
The Southern Railway ballast quarry at Meldon may be the property of Aggregate Indistries, but I believe the line itself was owned by a company called British American Railway Services of Chicago which did indeed enter administration 2020 at around the same time as the Dartmoor Railway heritage operator and that all British assets including the trackbed were disposed of by administrators, so Network Rail i.e. the taxpayer was able to reacquire it at little to no cost. The railway may have actually made a small profit by selling the line for a few thousand in the 1990s having got it back for next to nothing!
Probably still quite a bit more than £1 as there would be legal fees (probably a few thousand), but certainly next to nothing when compared to most other schemes.
Of course there are some reopening schemes where the Property Board didn’t get their hands on the trackbed and it is still wholly owned by Network Rail, but this is the next best thing. A few thousand on legal fees is the most they should really have to spend on land acquisition instead of having to waste millions.

I have got a first class ticket booked tomorrow (admittedly only between Taunton and Exeter) ready for the reopening on Saturday!
 

zwk500

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Of course there are some reopening schemes where the Property Board didn’t get their hands on the trackbed and it is still wholly owned by Network Rail, but this is the next best thing. A few thousand on legal fees is the most they should really have to spend on land acquisition instead of having to waste millions.
Are you suggesting that NR should only reopen lines where the property is readily available or that property owners shouldn't be fairly compensated when lines are reopened?
 

507020

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Are you suggesting that NR should only reopen lines where the property is readily available or that property owners shouldn't be fairly compensated when lines are reopened?
No I’m suggesting that NR should open all lines where the property is readily available regardless, but otherwise it is an unfortunate annoyance that has arisen from the trackbed being sold off in the first place. Of course if something meaningful has been built on it in the intervening 50 years and there is a desire to reopen the line, effort should be made to make a small deviation from the original route to accommodate this. People should obviously be compensated for losing their buildings and the inconvenience of being forced to move even if it complicates the reopening process, but if trackbed is now just waste ground owned by a 3rd party and would be better off as a railway, a few thousand in legal costs should suffice.
 
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Aggregate Industries owned the line between Coleford Jcn and Meldon - it was part of the deal when BR sold the quarry. BARS only leased the line, which they defaulted on. Network Rail purchased the line from AI for an undisclosed sum - there was an official handing over ceremony at Okehampton station earlier this year. Devon CC also handed over the up station building to NR at the same event, on payment of £1 (the coin is now in the supporters museum on the down platform). The yard at Meldon is still owned by AI - only the run-round loop is in NR ownership.
 

DDB

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Surely the administrators are trying to raise as much money as possible to pay back the creditors so they won't be giving stuff away for a £1 but it would have made thier job easier that was someone intrested in buying the exact thing (the trackbed) they had been tasked to sell.
 

Cowley

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Aggregate Industries owned the line between Coleford Jcn and Meldon - it was part of the deal when BR sold the quarry. BARS only leased the line, which they defaulted on. Network Rail purchased the line from AI for an undisclosed sum - there was an official handing over ceremony at Okehampton station earlier this year. Devon CC also handed over the up station building to NR at the same event, on payment of £1 (the coin is now in the supporters museum on the down platform). The yard at Meldon is still owned by AI - only the run-round loop is in NR ownership.

That all sounds right from what I remember. I also seem to remember that Network Rail paid a reasonable sum of money for the line as well (not the nominal £1 deal).
 

Cowley

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Surely the administrators are trying to raise as much money as possible to pay back the creditors so they won't be giving stuff away for a £1 but it would have made thier job easier that was someone intrested in buying the exact thing (the trackbed) they had been tasked to sell.

Yes that’s my understanding too but I can’t remember the exact figure now and it probably wouldn’t be wise to say even if I could.
 

507020

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Aggregate Industries owned the line between Coleford Jcn and Meldon - it was part of the deal when BR sold the quarry. BARS only leased the line, which they defaulted on. Network Rail purchased the line from AI for an undisclosed sum - there was an official handing over ceremony at Okehampton station earlier this year. Devon CC also handed over the up station building to NR at the same event, on payment of £1 (the coin is now in the supporters museum on the down platform). The yard at Meldon is still owned by AI - only the run-round loop is in NR ownership.
Is the museum on the down platform still owned by the council? I didn’t realise they paid in cash with a £1 coin. If a locomotive hauled train wished to use the loop to run-round, would it have to pay an access charge to AI to use the main line and NR to use the loop?
Surely the administrators are trying to raise as much money as possible to pay back the creditors so they won't be giving stuff away for a £1 but it would have made thier job easier that was someone intrested in buying the exact thing (the trackbed) they had been tasked to sell.
The American owners of BARS may have been able to pay back their creditors with money from the American operation and simply wished to dispose of British assets, which including a railway trackbed, by pure coincidence are desirable to only the single entity of Network Rail which is able to make proper use of them. We may see other instances of disused trackbeds which the owners don’t know what to do with being sold back to NR or GBR for not a lot of money.

Yes that’s my understanding too but I can’t remember the exact figure now and it probably wouldn’t be wise to say even if I could.
I’m sure I’ve seen the exact figure BR sold it for in 1994 somewhere but I can’t remember what it is.
 

trainmania100

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Anyone know if the line between exeter and okehampton has been resignalled ? Opentraintimes has just the last sent / next train things but I cant see any train describer messages after this. Assume its not needed anyway if theres only one train in the signal block at any time between Oke and Exeter
 

Nippy

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Anyone know if the line between exeter and okehampton has been resignalled ? Opentraintimes has just the last sent / next train things but I cant see any train describer messages after this. Assume its not needed anyway if theres only one train in the signal block at any time between Oke and Exeter

Hasn't been resignalled beyond having a Token now rather than the Train Staff. The single line is from Crediton (not Exeter) to Okehampton.
 

Irascible

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That all sounds right from what I remember. I also seem to remember that Network Rail paid a reasonable sum of money for the line as well (not the nominal £1 deal).
Wasn't most of this done out of the HS2 budget? ( although whether not reopening it for passengers would have meant no relaying, I dunno ).
 

trainmania100

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Anyone know if both platforms at OKE are connected to the line to crediton directly now or just the side with the signal box still?
I'm waiting for the RHTT but it's dark and I can't deduce what platform
 

50032

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Anyone know if both platforms at OKE are connected to the line to crediton directly now or just the side with the signal box still?
I'm waiting for the RHTT but it's dark and I can't deduce what platform
The point connecting to Platform 2 from the Meldon end was recently removed, even though the connection was beyond the limit of this new operation. Insufficient clearance between the two lines was suggested, therefore it's now just an isolated bit of disused rail.
 
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