Devon railway representatives gathered at Okehampton Station last Thursday (March 28) to witness the unveiling of a plaque and celebrate winning the National Railway Heritage Awards.

Andy Savage, chairman of the National Railway Heritage Awards, and Sue Baxter from the Dartmoor Railway Association unveiled the plaque, which was awarded to Network Rail, Great Western Railway (GWR), the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, and the Dartmoor Railway Association for restoring the main station building.

Mr Savage said: "I was absolutely delighted when the [National Railway Heritage Awards adjudicators] settled with [Okehampton Station]. There were a lot of really good entries in the community rail group, and it was a real pleasure to see this win.

"The work saw the restoration of the building to its former 1950-60s style decor and period Southern Railway design signage with renovations to the old ticket office and waiting rooms, which restorers fitted with period Southern Railway furniture.Network Rail restored the station infrastructure and canopy, while GWR led the building's main internal works.

Meanwhile, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, Dartmoor Railway Association, and Dartmoor National Park installed the signage and fitted out most of the main building's rooms. 

Work started in the mid-1990s when Devon County Council bought the station and was finally completed in 2022 when the station cafe opened for business.

Richard Burningham, manager of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: "We were so proud to win back in December, and today is about celebrating that. It's such a great project, and it was a very stiffly contested award, so we were very honoured.

"I want to pay special tribute to GWR. From the earliest days of the project, they heard loud and clear that people wanted the heritage of this station - local people were keen to see that maintained and enhanced, and GWR bought that vision right from the beginning.

“The reopening of the Dartmoor Line, which runs from Exeter St Davids to Okehampton, has been a massive success. Last calendar year, rail journeys to Okehampton rose by 78 per cent from 2022. Today, around 30,000 journeys to Okehampton are made monthly.”