IT WAS a proud day at Okehampton Station when a ribbon was cut and speeches said to mark the final part of bringing the station buildings back to their former glory.

Former train driver and Okehampton county councillor Richard Westlake did the honours, cutting a ribbon to open the heritage display in the old booking office. Vice chair of campaign group OkeRail, Richard started his railway career as a steam locomotive fireman at Okehampton in 1964 and his father, Arthur, was the last member of British Rail staff employed at the station, retiring in 1982.

Over the last 18 months, a huge amount of work has gone into restoring and enhancing the railway heritage of the station while also ensuring that it meets modern requirements and standards.

Richard Burningham, manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, which promotes branch lines in the two counties, said: ‘I am so proud of what our joint collaborative effort has achieved at Okehampton. I’m especially proud and pleased that the public are using the trains in such numbers.'

Ian Mundy, Dartmoor Line reopening project manager for GWR, said: ‘It is hard to believe that it is already a year since we and our partners reopened the Dartmoor Line, ahead of time and under budget – and this event today marks the completion of this project. With the building now fully restored to its former glory, the success of the project is testament to the hard work of so many who campaigned for the line’s reinstatement and those who worked day and night to deliver the project £10m under budget. The continued demand shows just how important good rail connections are for the community, and the economies, they serve.’

Sue Baxter, chairman of the Dartmoor Railway Association, said: ‘The heritage areas of the station are now restored to a marvellous standard. We are glad we managed to help bridge the transition between the former leaseholder and new owner Network Rail.

‘It has been a privilege to work with so many organisations to keep and then restore the 1950s feel of the station which was so beautifully achieved first under Devon County Council ownership for the first reopening in 1997. It looks as though the booking clerk has just slipped out of the office for a few minutes. So perhaps he will be back one day sitting on his stool again at the ticket window, taking cardboard tickets out of a rack for date stamping, or filling in a form to send a telegram.'