A
line
in
Devon
between
Exeter
and
Okehampton
has
carried
its
first
250,000
passengers
just
over
a
year
since
regular
passenger
services
were
restarted,
having
been
withdrawn
in
1972.
Rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
visited
Okehampton
to
unveil
a
plaque
marking
the
official
reopening
of
the
station
building,
which
has
gained
a
café,
Dartmoor
National
Park
information
centre,
a
shop,
toilets,
retro-style
waiting
room
and
a
museum.
The
service
began
running
on
20
November
last
year,
and
the
frequency
of
trains
was
doubled
to
hourly
in
the
spring.
Transport
campaigners
are
continuing
to
press
for
the
line
beyond
Okehampton
around
the
northern
side
of
Dartmoor
to
Tavistock
and
the
existing
terminus
at
Bere
Alston
to
be
rebuilt,
which
would
restore
a
second
route
between
Exeter
and
Plymouth.

Contracts
rethink
++


The
recently-formed
lobbying
group
for
operators,
Rail
Partners,
has
claimed
that
private
sector
expertise
is
‘vital’
to
help
rail’s
recovery
and
start
to
close
the
gap
in
industry
finances.
It
said
research
carried
out
by
independent
economic
analysts
Oxera
shows
that
the
Treasury
could
earn
another
£1.6
billion
over
two
years
if
‘restrictive
contracts’
for
operators
were
eased.
It
has
published
a
new
report,
‘Fork
in
the
tracks:
attracting
customers
back
to
the
railway’,
which
argues
that
the
contractual
system
which
supported
the
railway
through
the
Covid
crisis
now
needs
to
evolve.

Accessible
station
++


A
new,
fully
accessible
station
is
set
to
open
in
Morley
next
summer,
which
will
be
able
to
accommodate
longer
trains
as
part
of
the
Transpennine
Route
Upgrade.
The
new,
remodelled
station,
on
the
south-western
side
of
Leeds,
is
being
built
75
metres
away
from
the
existing
station,
which
has
been
able
to
stay
open
during
the
work.
The
project
will
include
electrification.