Easier access to the national rail network from places like Bude and Holsworthy is one step closer to becoming reality.

It comes as part of the Government’s latest round of levelling up investment announcements, with £13.4-million awarded to a project to build a new Okehampton Parkway railway station.

The new station, which will be situated on the eastern edge of the town, will allow residents of Bude, Holsworthy and surrounding areas to enjoy easier access to the network.

The reopening of Okehampton comes after decades of long journeys for residents of Bude and Holsworthy to Exeter or Bodmin Parkway to access the railway network since the Beeching Axe condemned their stations to closure in 1966.

Scott Mann, Conservative MP for North Cornwall, who was involved in the campaign to restore the line to Okehampton, hailed the news, saying: “It is brilliant to see this important levelling up investment in Okehampton rail, which will benefit people across Devon and Cornwall. I have long been a supporter of the Okehampton line as a second route into Cornwall, so I have been very pleased to see the government commitment to a project that has huge local and regional support."

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