Budget 2021: Okehampton-Exeter train route receives £40m
The restoration of a passenger rail service to Okehampton has been included in the Budget .
The route between Okehampton and Exeter will receive £40m. It has been closed for nearly 50 years, except a limited Sunday service in the summer months. No date for when a regular service is set to begin has been given. Commitment to restore the line had been included as part of the government's 2020 Spending Review in November, but no investment amount was specified. The restoration of the line had also previously been included in the National Infrastructure Strategy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Regular Okehampton to Exeter passenger services ended in June 1972, with only a limited service running on the line on Sundays during the summer since 1997. The budget stated the investment would "provide good quality transport links between communities" as well as "improve employment opportunities" in the local area. Mel Stride, Conservative MP for Central Devon, said the funding meant the reopening is "now a clear reality", with people in Okehampton and the surrounding area able to "look forward to a massively improved" rail service. Around the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service Related Internet Links National Rail Enquiries - Okehampton