Dartmoor railway line set to reopen after almost 50 years
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Wales and West of England Correspondent Rupert Evelyn
After almost 50 years a railway line between Exeter and Okehamptom is almost ready to reopen.
It will be known as the Dartmoor line and the last regular service was in 1972, when it was withdrawn for passengers.
The renewal is seen as the start of the regeneration of lost lines and is the first project under the government's 'Restoring your Railway' scheme
"I think there is fantastic opportunity here to connect Okehamptom to the rest of the world, it's going to bring people from the local area into Exeter, job opportunities and it will also make sure the rest of the country can visit Okehamptom, visit Dartmoor and visit Dartmoor National Park," Becky Tipper, from Network Rail said.
When passengers step off the service at Okehamptom they will be met by a refurbished Victorian station and it's hoped the new railway line will provide a much needed boost to tourism in Dartmoor.
Tom Baxter, from Dartmoor Railway Association, told ITV News: "That's the whole essence of it really, to try and make people feel as if there's walking into the past but coming on a modern train from Exeter, that will be the ambition in the future."
The line is set to reopen by the end of the year - 150 years after it first opened.