New £15m Devon business park station could bring 164k passengers

Plans to construct a new £15m railway station at a business park in Devon could move forward, with opening year demand of 164,000 passengers anticipated.A report for Devon County Council’s cabinet seeks necessary approvals to deliver the station at Okehampton Business Park.Cabinet is asked to approve the station with walking, cycling and public transport improvements and a car park within a Levelling up Fund cost envelope of £14.95m.The station would have step-free access, improved cycle links, bus stop infrastructure and a car park with EV charging points and disabled parking bays.The project will be funded through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund programme, with match funding from Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council.Approval is also sought in the report for the appropriation of land for planning purposes. Delegated powers will be given to the director of climate change, environment and transport to negotiate and authorise any compensation payments, which may be required.The new station seeks to build upon the success of the Dartmoor Line reopening in November 2021. This runs hourly frequency trains daily between Okehampton, Crediton and Exeter.It has seen patronage far exceed business case predictions in its business case with more than 250,000 passengers using the line in its first year.According to the report, the Levelling Up Fund Business Case submission anticipates opening year demand of approximately 164,000 passengers using the new Interchange station.The scheme itself would provide a single, 100m long, 3.3m wide platform offering an hourly frequency service to Crediton and Exeter in one direction and an hourly frequency to Okehampton Town Station in the other.The proposed station works will be submitted by Network Rail to West Devon Borough Council under a prior approval application.The report added: “The recommendations of this report will enable the site to be developed for a new station car park with connecting bridge to a new Okehampton Interchange railway station at the east of the town, with associated facilities to support access for all, including walking, cycling and bus stop infrastructure.”The county council is satisfied that the appropriation of the land satisfies the legal tests and can therefore override the restrictive covenant on the land. It is included in policy TTV13 of the Plymouth and South Devon Local Plan and there is strong local support for the new railway station.”Funding has been secured through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in partnership with West Devon Borough Council and the necessary governance arrangements are in place to support its future delivery in partnership with Network Rail and their supply chain.”