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Devon Metro

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Devon Metro
Okehampton Station was reopened in 2021 as part of the Devon Metro project
Okehampton Station was reopened in 2021 as part of the Devon Metro project
Overview
Area servedGreater Exeter
(Exeter travel to work area)
LocaleDevon, United Kingdom
Transit typeSuburban rail, commuter rail
Number of lines
4[note 1]
Number of stations
41 [note 2]
Daily ridership
Increase c. 21,000 (2026) [1]
Operation
OperatorsGreat Western Railway, South Western Railway
Infrastructure manager
Network Rail
Train length2-4 cars (except East Devon Line)
Technical
System length112.5 mi (181 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
System map

Schematic Map of the services of the Devon Metro network as of July 2024, including the section of the West of England Line branded as the East Devon Line by the DCRP.

A Class 150 bound for Paignton on the Riviera Line calling at St Thomas station in 2018.

The Devon Metro is a scheme to establish a rapid transit–style service on the regional rail network in the English city of Exeter and its environs,[2][3] which Devon County Council has been pursuing since 2011.[4][5][6] This has included increasing the frequency of trains on existing lines,[7] opening new lines and stations,[8][9] and improving integration between lines and other modes of transport.[10] The intention is to see a portion of the regional rail network become a "turn-up-and-go" service[11] without having to refer to a timetable, like an urban railway network or conventional metro system.

The system currently covers 4 operational lines with a total of 41 stations across Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge.[2][12]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

Due to the historical development of railways by competing companies in Exeter, which acts as the gateway to the rest of the South West Peninsula, the city has enjoyed an unusually extensive railway network for its size, being the meeting point of various lines.[13] Despite substantial sections of Exeter's railway infrastructure being selected for closure as a part of the Beeching Axe, such as St Thomas station and the Avocet and East Devon Lines,[14] most of the network survived, but underwent significant economies to justify their retention, including the singling of previously double-tracked routes.[15]

In the years since, Exeter has gone through substantial expansion and has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country,[16] with growth particularly in the eastern suburbs of the city. This has led to Exeter becoming one of the most congested cities in the UK.[17] The need to reduce congestion on the roads led to the reopening of Pinhoe and Digby & Sowton[18] stations in 1983 and 1995 respectively, and the construction of a new passing loop at Axminster in 2009 to increase the frequency on the East Devon Line.[19] These enhancements in the east of the city were intended to attract more commuters to travel to and from the city centre by train instead of car. The local rail routes subsequently experienced rapid growth in passenger numbers, forcing them to operate near or at maximum track capacity with the limitations of the single-track lines left after Beeching.[13] This impacted reliability, due to the lack of leeway available if a train was slightly delayed. This caused problems to cascade, often requiring trains to be cancelled to regulate the service. Compounded with the continuing high levels of congestion and population growth, this led Devon County Council to submit an expression of interest to the government for funding towards what it dubbed the "Devon Metro scheme" in 2010.[20]

Initial proposals

[edit]

Initial proposals of the Devon Metro scheme were laid out as part of the Future of Transport in Exeter consultation in March and April 2010.[21] This set out short to medium term plans for new stations "related to areas of new development or existing employment sites in the city". New stations at Marsh Barton, Newcourt and Monkerton were explicitly mentioned. The proposal also included longer term goals such as a new station at Cullompton and increased train frequencies; however it also mentioned that increased train frequency would depend on the construction of new passing loops on single track lines.[22]

In the final report written at the conclusion of the consultation, 84% of respondents indicated support for the rail enhancements under the Devon Metro scheme, with only 5% expressing opposition.[23]

A further briefing was published in 2011 outlining the scheme in more detail, including an implementation plan for 2011-2026.[2] In the short term they included:

  • Increased frequency on the Riviera Line to 2tph to ease overcrowding
  • Introduction of longer four-car trains by reallocating surplus rolling stock from other lines
  • New Riviera line stations in Exeter at Marsh Barton and Newcourt, as well as at Edginswell in Torquay.
  • New East Devon line station at Cranbrook.

The briefing also included longer term plans, including:

  • Increased frequency on the Avocet line to 4tph, reliant on new passing loops being installed at Lympstone and Digby & Sowton.
  • New Avocet line station at Monkerton to serve the Met Office headquarters at Exeter Business Park, reliant on an extra passing loop being installed.
  • New station at Cullompton on the Bristol–Exeter line, reliant on a new local train service being introduced, as it is located on the main line.
  • Increased frequency on the East Devon line to 2tph, reliant on a new passing loop being installed at either Cranbrook or Whimple.

Several improvements were also ruled out at this stage:

  • A new station at Exminster just south of Exeter was deemed not possible as the high levels of traffic on the South Devon main line, which overlaps with the majority of the Riviera line, only made a single additional station practical without further infrastructure improvements. (Marsh Barton was chosen instead as the station to be prioritised, eventually opening in 2023.)
  • Reactivating the Dartmoor line was not considered viable due to the high capital cost of the re-opening and the revenue cost of the operation. (Despite this the Dartmoor line was later reopened as a part of the Devon Metro in 2021, with funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme.)
  • Realigning the section of railway from Dawlish to Teignmouth to prevent disruption from sea water and weather damage was said not to justify the large costs.

Completed enhancements

[edit]

Cranbrook station

[edit]
Main article: Cranbrook railway station (Devon)

Cranbrook railway station opened in 2015.[24]

Newcourt station

[edit]
Main article: Newcourt railway station (England)

Newcourt railway station opened in 2015.

Construction at Marsh Barton station in 2021, part of the Devon Metro project.

Marsh Barton station

[edit]
Main article: Marsh Barton railway station

Construction work started at Marsh Barton in April 2021.[25] The station was added to the National Rail timetable in May 2022, eventually opening for passenger services in July 2023.

Okehampton and Okehampton Interchange station

[edit]
Main articles: Okehampton railway station and Okehampton Interchange railway station

Okehampton station reopened for National Rail services in 2021 following the reopening of the Dartmoor Line, and plans and funding were announced for a 'West Devon Transport Hub' east of Okehampton was also established in November 2023. Funding was approved by the Government in June 2024 as part of their "Levelling Up" policy and the station was opened in August 2026, with construction having been ongoing since February 2025.[26][27]

Routes

[edit]

Avocet-Riviera Line

[edit]
Main articles: Avocet Line and Riviera Line

As part of the Devon Metro project, frequency on the Avocet and Riviera Lines between Exmouth, Exeter and Paignton was increased to two trains per hour.[7][28] The Avocet-Riviera Line currently has the most frequent service out of the whole network.

Dartmoor Line

[edit]
Main article: Dartmoor Line

Prior to its reopening, the Dartmoor Line had not seen regular passenger service since 1972. It was used from then as a freight and heritage railway line, with trains carrying stone from Meldon Quarry and a heritage passenger service between Meldon Viaduct and Sampford Courtenay. From 1997, Devon County Council commissioned a "Dartmoor Sunday Rover" to be operated by First Great Western from Okehampton to St James Park in Exeter via St Davids during the summer period. By 2020, as both the quarry and the heritage railway had ceased operations, opportunity was provided for the full reopening and reintegration of the Dartmoor Line with the rest of the network.

In 2021, Network Rail acquired the line and laid new track from Colyford Junction to Okehampton funded by the Government's Restoring Your Railway programme. In November the same year regular passenger services recommenced, with a two-hourly service from Okehampton to St Davids calling at Crediton. On weekday peaks, five trains a day also continue to Central and a select few continuing further to St James Park on match days. This was increased to an hourly service in 2022.

Sampford Courtenay, which was previously served by the GWR summer Sunday service until 2019, has all trains pass through non-stop despite having a new platform surface installed when Network Rail took ownership. There are no plans to bring it back into passenger use.

Tarka Line

[edit]
Main article: Tarka Line

As part of the 2020 timetable change, the Tarka Line service between Barnstaple and Exeter was segregated from the service on the Avocet-Riviera Line from Exmouth to Paignton via Exeter. It has been proposed that the Tarka Line could now be extended east from Exeter to Honiton along the West of England line (East Devon Line).

East Devon Line

[edit]
Main article: West of England line

A section of the West of England line is marketed as the East Devon Line under Devon Metro for services out of the mainline platforms of Exeter St Davids railway station to Axminster.

Future developments

[edit]

Plans to create a Devon Metro also include new stations at Edginswell and Monkerton. Furthermore, the council wishes for the Dartmoor line to be extended to serve the town of Tavistock, which would revive a connection provided until 1968 by the Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR. A Tavistock rail link to Bere Alston was funded by the Restoring Your Railway fund until that was scrapped by the incoming Labour government in 2024.

Funding for stations in Wellington and Cullompton on the Bristol–Exeter line, which the line was included in the Devon Metro plan but is yet to receive service enhancements, has been secured by new Spending Review settlement funding.[29] Work on the new Wellington station commenced in early 2026.[30]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Services are run in four separate continuous lines on five physical branch lines.
  2. ^ Includes stations on the East Devon Line, which extends beyond Devon onto the West of England line with most trains continuing to London Waterloo. The East Devon Line is the brand name for the section within Devon between St Davids - Axminster and is considered as a part of the Devon Metro project despite being a "main line".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Taylor, Caitlin (13 February 2026). "Exeter rail journeys surge council pushes public transport to meet Net Zero goals". North Devon Gazette. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Devon Metro Briefing - fulfilling the potential of rail" (PDF). Devon County Council Website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Background - Marsh Barton railway station". Devon County Council. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  4. ^ Clark, Daniel (5 August 2019). "The Devon Metro proposals - eight years after they were launched". Devon Live. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  5. ^ "DEVON METRO – A SUMMARY" (PDF). Avocet Line Rail Users Group. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  6. ^ Thompson, Bruce; Tozer, Dave; Abbott, James (23 February 2021). "Devon Metro moves forward". Modern Railways. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Half hourly Paignton services to be restored" (Press release). Great Western Railway. 21 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Dartmoor Line". Network Rail. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  9. ^ Clark, Daniel (5 February 2023). "Devon plan for new 'fast-track' train stations". Devon Live. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Devon's integrated vision". www.modernrailways.com. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Budget 2021: Funding backs reopening of Cullompton Railway Station". BBC News. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Greater Exeter Strategic Plan" (PDF). Mid Devon District Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Devon Metro – A Summary" (PDF). Avocet Line Rail Users Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  14. ^ The Reshaping of British Railways (PDF). London: British Railways Board. 1963. p. 113.
  15. ^ "History". Avocet Line Rail Users Group. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Exeter: Consultations held over city's 20-year future". BBC News. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Highway Issues in Exeter". Exeter Civic Society. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  18. ^ Abbott, James, ed. (July 1995). "Three new stations in summer timetable". Modern Railways. 52 (562): 388.
  19. ^ Network Rail (2 February 2009). "Redoubling at Axminster Begins" (Press release). Archived from the original on 7 August 2011.
  20. ^ "The future of transport in Exeter" (PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Future of Transport in Exeter Consultation". 23 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Future of Transport in Exeter Display Panels" (PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Future of Transport in Exeter Consultation and Discussion Final Report" (PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Cranbrook train station opens today". Express & Echo. Exeter. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Work starts on Exeter's Marsh Barton station". Modern Railways Online. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Work begins to build Okehampton Interchange". West Devon Borough Council. 26 February 2025. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  27. ^ "Okehampton Interchange will open Devon 'gateway'". BBC News. 14 March 2025. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Appendix 1: Devon Metro proposals" (PDF). Exeter City Council. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Green light for over 50 road and rail upgrades supporting over 39,000 new homes and 42,000 jobs". GOV.UK. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Work begins on spine road which will serve new railway station". Somerset County Gazette. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.