OKERAIL Forum in partnership with Great Western Railway and Dartmoor Railway are planning to run an express passenger train from Okehampton Station to Weymouth on Saturday, September 14.

The train will depart from Okehampton at 8.15am and arrive at 11.45pm, before departing at 4.26pm, giving nearly five hours in the resort. Passengers should be back in West Devon by 7.20pm.

The outbound train will stop at Dorchester West to drop off passengers but will not pick up on the return journey. Passengers visiting Dorchester must make their own way from Dorchester South to Weymouth to board the return train to Okehampton. There are two trains per hour on this route with a journey time of about ten minutes. Note that trains to Weymouth depart from a different station.

The fares are £37 return for standard class with children at half price (£18.50).

A coach link from Marhamchurch, Bude, Stratton and Holsworthy to Okehampton Station will be provided at a subsidised fare of £5 return and free for those under 16. The coach will be part funded from funds raised by ‘Connect Bude’ from raffles at events held during this year.

If you would like to join them on this day out to the famous Dorset seaside resort, use the following link to book your seats online. www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-rdjaop

When booking, those travelling from the Bude and the Holsworthy areas may wish to book their seats in Coach B on the train to be with others travelling from the same area. Unfortunately all first class tickets have already been sold.

The departure times from the different locations for the coach link to Okehampton are as follows:

Marhamchurch — 6.30am

Bude (Crescent Car Park) — 6.40am

Stratton (Car park) — 6.45am

Holsworthy (Church) — 7am

Halwill Junction — 7.20am

Arrival into Okehampton should be at 7.45am before boarding the train ten minutes later for an 8.15am departure. Once back in Okehampton at around 7.20pm, it is hoped the coach home should arrive back in Bude by 8.50pm.

Looking ahead to the trip, Connect Bude spokesperson, Mike Moore, said: “Connect Bude are delighted to support OkeRail Forum in promoting this special train to Weymouth just as we have supported ‘Royal Oke’ trains to London and Stratford-upon-Avon in the last two years.

“As well as providing a great day out for local people, these trains, along with the Summer Sunday services, demonstrate a real need for regular daily train services between Okehampton and Exeter.

“By providing a coach link from Bude, Holsworthy and Halwill Junction for these trains, we can also demonstrate the importance of a reliable coach link to Okehampton Station to connect with this new daily service to Exeter when it is introduced.

“This is only the first step in our ambitions to connect Bude to the national railway network. Our next step is to gain support for a study into the feasibility of extending the railway from Meldon Junction (near Okehampton) towards Halwill, Holsworthy and ultimately Bude. This is our long-term aim but our first step is to support OkeRail in getting regular trains running to Okehampton. Without achieving this it will be difficult to make any further progress towards Bude.”

Contact Mike Moore on 01288 361878 or [email protected] for a booking form for the coach link or for any further information.

At a meeting of Connect Bude at the Falcon Hotel on August 20, chairman Richard Woldfenden-Brown welcomed the news that the group had seen the biggest ever increase in support in one month. Seventeen new members and 22 supporters had joined, including people from as far away as Uxbridge, Basingstoke, Bristol and Carmarthen as well as many local people. This was no doubt in part due to the new promotional leaflets of which a further 5,000 had been printed for distribution and to membership drive events which will continue throughout the summer.

In order to spread the message in Holsworthy and gain further support in that area, Connect Bude members will attend a meeting of Holsworthy Town Council on September 4.

Plans were discussed for the AGM which will be at 11am on Saturday, October 19 in the Parkhouse Centre’s Ivor Potter Hall.

This will be a public meeting at which Scott Mann MP has been invited to speak. Following advice from Michael Muldowney, a member of Mr Mann’s constituency staff, Connect Bude will be applying for funding from GWR’s Community Fund to carry out a feasibility study into the reopening of the Bude line.