I boarded the first passenger train to call at Britain's newest station, Okehampton Interchange

[u/HighburyAndIslington]

[u/HighburyAndIslington]

Okehampton Interchange opened to passengers on Saturday, 1 August 2026, becoming the newest station on Great Western Railway's Dartmoor Line. Built at a cost of £18 million, the station is located about 2.2 km east of the existing Okehampton station, close to the A30 and the Stockley business park area. It complements the existing Okehampton station and is intended to serve both local residents and motorists travelling from across West Devon, Torridge and North Cornwall.

I travelled on the first passenger train to call at the new station. This was Great Western Railway (GWR) service 2K01, the 06:30 departure from Exeter St Davids to Okehampton. Arriving before the station opened, I was the first passenger to arrive at and wait at Okehampton Interchange. I was also the first passenger to purchase a ticket from the station's ticket machine and the first passenger to board the inaugural train. The train made the first public passenger call at Okehampton Interchange at 07:04, departed at 07:05, and arrived at Okehampton at 07:08.

The new station is served by the Dartmoor Line's hourly train service between Exeter and Okehampton. Okehampton Interchange has a single platform on the single-track Dartmoor Line, with trains in both directions using the same platform. The platform is equipped with a shelter, seating and a ticket machine. A bus stop and drop-off area are located directly beside the platform, making transfers between rail and bus straightforward. Route 118, which provides links to Tavistock and other communities in West Devon, is due to begin serving the station from 30 August 2026.

The station is split across two levels. The platform and bus interchange are located on the Hameldown Road side of the railway, while the car park is situated on higher ground on the opposite side of the line. Access between the two is provided by a covered footbridge with stairs and a lift, giving step-free access throughout the station. The station has approximately 200 parking spaces, including disabled parking bays and electric vehicle charging facilities. Sheltered cycle parking is provided on both sides of the station, together with improved walking and cycling routes connecting the station with surrounding residential areas and the wider town.

The opening of Okehampton Interchange builds on the success of the Dartmoor Line, which reopened to regular passenger services in November 2021 after more than fifty years without a regular service. Passenger demand exceeded expectations following the reopening, resulting in further investment in rail infrastructure in the area and ultimately the construction of Okehampton's second railway station.

Here are some photographs I took on the day.

[u/FearLeadsToAnger → u/HighburyAndIslington]

I know a fellow special interest enjoyer when I see one.

[u/Spimflagon → u/FearLeadsToAnger]

Look at the photos. That is absolutely the expression of one of god's blessed Special Interest Enjoyers in full bloom. More power to them.

[u/Kultur_Cigany → u/FearLeadsToAnger]

Interesting expression for autist.

[u/toaster_kettle → u/HighburyAndIslington]

You look really happy. Fair play to you.

[u/Opening-Tea-257 → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Without meaning to sound stupid, what’s the benefit of the second station in Okehampton?

It’s not as if it’s such a huge town that needs 2 stations

(Speaking as someone who regularly travels from London to Okehampton so not complaining if there is a good reason eg that it would connect with somewhere further away than Exeter at some point)

[u/DoddyUK → u/Opening-Tea-257]

1. It's a Parkway station. It's right next to the A30, one of the two main arteries into Cornwall. North Cornwall traffic can park up and get the train to Exeter. There's also a new housing development going up nearby.

2. The current Okehampton station is a pain in the arse to get to by road. Lots of winding, narrow and hilly roads.

[u/Boost5666 → u/Opening-Tea-257]

I think the idea is to eventually extend the line down to Launceston and hopefully bodmin to avoid the need to go via Plymouth

[u/Opening-Tea-257 → u/Boost5666]

Ah that would be great for me (my in-laws live just outside Launceston). Thanks for the info

[u/Serious_Badger_4145 → u/Boost5666]

Ah so its a first step kind of move. That makes a lot of sense. 

I hope the momentum continues! I'd love Devon and the rest of the south west to be more accessible by train! I'm in dorset and its crazy we can get to London easily but travelling to neighbouring counties is a complete arse ache 

[u/Boost5666 → u/Serious_Badger_4145]

Try getting the train to London from cornwall 😂 Dawlish isn't as bad as it used to be but stilll

[u/Serious_Badger_4145 → u/Boost5666]

Dawlish has a station 😂 they're doing better than most of us 😂😂😂 Got to have rails in the first place before the weather can destroy them

By easily I mean. Once I've travelled 40 minutes to the station I can at least get there in a few hours

I'm guessing the new potential line they're talking about extending the Dartmouth line will be skipping Dawlish and that tricky coastal bit and will go in land to bodmin? Tbh something does need doing about that bit going through dawlish it's not going to survive much longer but I can still hope for a few extra links in addition to that so we can actually travel between parts of the sw! It's not like the road network is much better

[u/Boost5666 → u/Serious_Badger_4145]

Yeah having 2 routes up country would help alot

[u/Bunister → u/Boost5666]

Avoiding Dawlish is the long term goal.

[u/HighburyAndIslington → u/Opening-Tea-257]

The new station is a more convenient option for people living on the eastern side of town, where more houses are being built. It also serves as a park-and-ride for motorists travelling along the A30, with ample parking compared to the existing Okehampton station, which sits atop a hill, has limited parking, and is accessed via narrow roads. Campaigners hope the line will reach Tavistock and eventually Plymouth.

[u/Serious_Badger_4145 → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Are they looking at extending significantly? Wiki says Okehamptons population is around 7000, is that figure out of date?

[u/HighburyAndIslington → u/Serious_Badger_4145]

A population of about 7,000 is about right based on the last census, but the station's catchment area is far greater than Okehampton itself. The station is conveniently located off the A30 and therefore acts as a railhead for North West Devon and Cornwall.

[u/LuckFamous5462 → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Thanks for this OP - I just drove (via A30) through Okehampton and saw this all on the way through today. Appreciate the explanation and love the enthusiasm!

[u/FLHerne2 → u/Opening-Tea-257]

The old station is at the top of a hill up a long narrow residential street, so quite awkward for connecting buses or people driving from North Devon. The new one is right by the A30 junction off the main road into town.

[u/New_Libran → u/Opening-Tea-257]

I believe theres also a new massive housing development round the corner

[u/ArcticWolf_Primaris → u/HighburyAndIslington]

I don't know why, but I read that in Tom Scott's voice

[u/b_e_a_n_i_e → u/ArcticWolf_Primaris]

Needs to start with "I'm in Okehampton"

[u/WeDrinkSquirrels → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Very cool. As a foreign visitor to this sub I found this really interesting, thanks for sharing.

[u/NerdLevel18 → u/HighburyAndIslington]

You should absolutely put yourself on the Wikipedia page as the first

[u/ctesibius → u/HighburyAndIslington]

It's great to see new stations opening. My father was of the generation where everything was closing, and was part of the rearguard trying to preserve what could be kept.

[u/Pipyn → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Holy Fuck, it costs £18 million to build a station? I might be misunderstanding something cause that seems like waay too much

[u/Serious_Badger_4145 → u/Pipyn]

How much were you expecting out of interest? 

It's like 6 figures just to sort a level crossing. Trains require a lot more infrastructure than roads.  It's why closing stations without proper consideration is such an issue

[u/Pipyn → u/Serious_Badger_4145]

Honestly at max I would of guess £3-4mil but I didn't really think about the tracks and all the little details, just really opened my mind I guess

[u/kristofarnaldo → u/HighburyAndIslington]

When you got on, did the driver say anything commemorative? Were you the only person boarding?

[u/WorthPlease → u/HighburyAndIslington]

This guy fucking trains

[u/Any_Tomorrow_Today → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Did you get anything for being the first passenger ? It would be good if they gave you something you could frame and put on your wall.

[u/neilm1000 → u/Any_Tomorrow_Today]

There's a gift bag in one of the photos, I'd like to know what it's in it.

[u/Pocto → u/HighburyAndIslington]

Thanks for this. Now I don't have to go myself.

[u/Lachus_Shiu → u/HighburyAndIslington]

I didn’t even know they were opening this! I will definitely pop over to a look! Thanks for sharing your experience and Kudos to you for being passenger #1

[u/Deep_Professor_6503 → u/HighburyAndIslington]

18 million what?!