WHILE the Government has confirmed that proposals for a trial rail service to Okehampton are in the works, no firm date has yet been decided as to when that trial could begin.

Baroness Sugg, the parliamentary under secretary of state for transport, confirmed in a Lords Written Reply to Lord Berkeley, who enquired about the progress being made in developing a full time service between Exeter and Okehampton, that Great Western Railway was developing proposals for both a trial service and a longer-term strategy to reinstate trains on the route.

She said: ‘Great Western Railway (GWR) is developing proposals for both a trial service and a longer term strategy for reinstatement of regular train services between Okehampton and Exeter.

‘The reopening of this route to regular train services was included in the list of potential schemes by the Secretary of State on 29 November 2017 in Connecting People: a Strategic Vision for Rail. GWR is bringing together relevant stakeholders, Network Rail maintenance expertise and specialist consultants to produce a review of the infrastructure condition and a costed maintenance programme. The date for the introduction of regular train services will therefore depend on the outcome of that work.’