WITH the fight to bring a full time rail service back to Okehampton gathering steam, the town’s MP has backed plans for a special one-off train from Okehampton to Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Plans have been announced for the special Royal Oke train in April, similar to the trip organised to London in 2017. The event last year was organised to show an appetite for rail services in Okehampton — since the turn of the year, secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling has confirmed the government has instructed Great Western Railway ‘to prepare plans to introduce regular train services to Okehampton, with the objective of securing a credible and costed plan for delivering an all-week, all-year train service between Exeter and Okehampton as soon as reasonably practicable’.

The special day trip train will leave Okehampton at approximately 7am, giving between five and and hours in Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon before arriving back in Okehampton at around 9pm. It is likely to be on a date towards the end of April.

Welcoming the plans for the one-off train, the MP for Central Devon Mel Stride said: ‘The special Royal Oke train to London last year was a brilliant event that gave local residents a memorable day and was a key opportunity for me to meet the rail minister with local campaigners when we arrived.

‘It did a great deal to promote the campaign for the return of a rail service. I have no doubt that a second special trip will be equally successful.’

Mr Stride recently met with Okehampton town councillor and chair of OkeRail Dr Michael Ireland to discuss progress in plans to bring a rail service back to the community.

Cllr Ireland updated Mr Stride on meetings he attended with Travel Watch South West, the Peninsula Rail Task Force Stakeholder Advisory Group and OkeRail Forum.

Speaking after their meeting, Mr Stride said: ‘It was good to hear from Mike that the consultancy firm report looking at a number of issues regarding the return of the service including the track itself, Okehampton station and its car park, will be submitted to Devon County Council shortly. I was also very encouraged to learn that Great Western Railway specifically referenced the future Okehampton service in their future franchise plans.’

As part of the proposals being developed, a number of options for a new railway station in Okehampton are being considered by Devon County Council as it develops proposals for the reintroduction of regular weekday trial services in partnership with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Great Western Railway (GWR).

A feasibility study, commissioned by the county council, is looking at a variety of platform layouts for a parkway station and required infrastructure improvements as part of the scheme.

• Pictured are Mel Stride MP and Cllr Michael?Ireland discussing the latest rail developments.