50°43′55″N 3°59′46″W / 50.732°N 3.996°W
| Dartmoor line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 The junction for the Dartmoor Line at Crediton | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Devon, England | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 2 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | Great Western Railway | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 150 | ||
| Ridership | 0.361 million (2023)[1] | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1865 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 15+1⁄2-mile (24.9 km) | ||
| Number of tracks | One | ||
| Character | Rural | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| |||
The Dartmoor line is a 15+1⁄2-mile (24.9 km) railway line in Devon, England. From Crediton, the line runs alongside the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction where it diverges west to Okehampton. Previously a heritage line, it is owned by Network Rail.[2]
The route was originally part of the London and South Western Railway's route from Exeter to Plymouth, which was opened between 1865 and 1879. In 1968, British Rail closed the line beyond Meldon (two miles beyond Okehampton) as part of the Beeching cuts. The Exeter to Okehampton passenger service was withdrawn by British Rail in 1972. The line itself remained open for freight services from the railway ballast quarry at Meldon.
From 1997 to 2019, the line was operated as a heritage railway by the Dartmoor Railway community interest company. During this time, Great Western Railway ran a public service between Exeter and Okehampton on summer Sundays. Meldon quarry was mothballed in 2011, ceasing the use of the line for freight.
In July 2021, as part of the government's Restoring Your Railway programme,[3] the line was transferred to Network Rail ownership, and regular national rail passenger services began in November of the same year.[4]
- ^ https://dcrp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/branch-line-figures-to-2023.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Dartmoor Line and Okehampton railway station purchased by Network Rail". RailAdvent. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Dartmoor line rail services will be restored for first time in half a century". GOV.UK. Department for Transport. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Government restores the Dartmoor Line as services resume for first time in half a century from 20 November". Network Rail. Retrieved 13 October 2021.