Okehampton Interchange railway station

Okehampton Interchange
General information
Location	Okehampton, West Devon, Devon England
Coordinates	50°44′36″N3°58′34″W / 50.7433933°N 3.976171°W / 50.7433933; -3.976171
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	1
Key dates
2026	planned opening
Location

Okehampton Interchange (formerly known as Okehampton Parkway) is a railway station under construction in Okehampton on the Dartmoor Line. The station is planned as part of the Devon Metro and has been described as a priority station. ^[1] The station is to be sited off Exeter Road, by the Business Park and close to the junction with the A30, in the Stockley Hamlet area of Okehampton. Its location would also allow it to serve 900 new homes that are to be built nearby. ^{[2] [3]}

Following the Government announcing the reopening of some of the rail lines that were closed in the 1960s and 1970s, the line through the site was proposed for a new intermediate station between Okehampton and Crediton. Devon County Council purchased a site for a new station. ^[4]

History

Devon County Council said in January 2018 that it was looking at options for a new Okehampton Parkway station from which regular services to Exeter could operate. ^[5] By April 2018 there were two preferred options for this new station:

• a double-sided platform with a through platform and a bay platform, or
• a single-sided platform on the south side of the railway with staggered faces.

Exeter-bound trains could use the through platform on the north side, and the heritage Dartmoor Railway would use the bay platform; ^[6] however the Dartmoor Railway ceased operations in 2020.

The railway between Okehampton and Exeter reopened on 20 November 2021 as the Dartmoor Line.

Plans and funding were announced for a "West Devon Transport Hub" east of Okehampton in November 2023. The station was planned to have one platform, a lift, and parking for 200 cars. ^[7] The station name was announced in May 2024 to be Okehampton Interchange. ^[8] Funding was approved by the Government in June 2024 as part of the Levelling Up Project and the station is expected to be opened in summer 2026. ^[9] Ground preparation work started towards the end of 2024 and construction work started in February 2025. ^{[10] [11]}

Future service
Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Okehampton Terminus		Great Western Railway Dartmoor Line		Crediton towards Exeter Central

References

1. "Devon Metro - fulfilling the potential of rail" (PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
2. "OkeRAIL C.I.C. Summary" (PDF). OkeRail. December 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
3. Daniel Clark (20 January 2023). "Okehampton Parkway railway station is going to be built". Devon Live. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
4. "Campaign for Okehampton rail connection heats up with 2018 special services". Okehampton Times. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
5. Clark, Daniel (27 January 2018). "New Okehampton railway station and daily trains to Exeter 'vital'". DevonLive.
6. "Two preferred options identified for new Okehampton railway station". Tavistock Times Gazette. 26 April 2018.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
7. "West Devon Transport Hub". Dartmoor Line. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
8. "I bet you didn't know the name of the new Okehampton Station". GWR (Press release). 13 May 2024.
9. "Okehampton Interchange". The Dartmoor Line. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
10. Parkman, Chloe (8 March 2025). "Train travel disruption ahead of new station build". BBC News Online . Retrieved 10 March 2025.
11. Stephenson, Alison (6 October 2025). "New £15 million Devon interchange reaches major milestone". Devon Live . Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.