Devon Metro

Background

Due to the historical development of railways by competing companies in Exeter, which acts as the gateway to the rest of the South West Peninsula, the city has enjoyed an unusually extensive railway network for its size, being the meeting point of various lines. Despite substantial sections of Exeter's railway infrastructure being selected for closure as a part of the Beeching Axe, such as St Thomas station and the Avocet and East Devon Lines, most of the network survived, but underwent significant economies to justify their retention, including the singling of previously double-tracked routes.

In the years since, Exeter has gone through substantial expansion and has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, with growth particularly in the eastern suburbs of the city. This has led to Exeter becoming one of the most congested cities in the UK. The need to reduce congestion on the roads led to the reopening of Pinhoe and Digby & Sowton stations in 1983 and 1995 respectively, and the construction of a new passing loop at Axminster in 2009 to increase the frequency on the East Devon Line. These enhancements in the east of the city were intended to attract more commuters to travel to and from the city centre by train instead of car. The local rail routes subsequently experienced rapid growth in passenger numbers, forcing them to operate near or at maximum track capacity with the limitations of the single-track lines left after Beeching. This impacted reliability, due to the lack of leeway available if a train was slightly delayed. This caused problems to cascade, often requiring trains to be cancelled to regulate the service. Compounded with the continuing high levels of congestion and population growth, this led Devon County Council to submit an expression of interest to the government for funding towards what it dubbed the "Devon Metro scheme" in 2010.

Initial proposals

Initial proposals of the Devon Metro scheme were laid out as part of the Future of Transport in Exeter consultation in March and April 2010. This set out short to medium term plans for new stations "related to areas of new development or existing employment sites in the city". New stations at Marsh Barton, Newcourt and Monkerton were explicitly mentioned. The proposal also included longer term goals such as a new station at Cullompton and increased train frequencies; however it also mentioned that increased train frequency would depend on the construction of new passing loops on single track lines.

In the final report written at the conclusion of the consultation, 84% of respondents indicated support for the rail enhancements under the Devon Metro scheme, with only 5% expressing opposition.

A further briefing was published in 2011 outlining the scheme in more detail, including an implementation plan for 2011-2026. In the short term they included:

• Increased frequency on the Riviera Line to 2tph to ease overcrowding
• Introduction of longer four-car trains by reallocating surplus rolling stock from other lines
• New Riviera line stations in Exeter at Marsh Barton and Newcourt, as well as at Edginswell in Torquay.
• New East Devon line station at Cranbrook.

The briefing also included longer term plans, including:

• Increased frequency on the Avocet line to 4tph, reliant on new passing loops being installed at Lympstone and Digby & Sowton.
• New Avocet line station at Monkerton to serve the Met Office headquarters at Exeter Business Park, reliant on an extra passing loop being installed.
• New station at Cullompton on the Bristol–Exeter line, reliant on a new local train service being introduced, as it is located on the main line.
• Increased frequency on the East Devon line to 2tph, reliant on a new passing loop being installed at either Cranbrook or Whimple.

Several improvements were also ruled out at this stage:

• A new station at Exminster just south of Exeter was deemed not possible as the high levels of traffic on the South Devon main line, which overlaps with the majority of the Riviera line, only made a single additional station practical without further infrastructure improvements. (Marsh Barton was chosen instead as the station to be prioritised, eventually opening in 2023.)
• Reactivating the Dartmoor line was not considered viable due to the high capital cost of the re-opening and the revenue cost of the operation. (Despite this the Dartmoor line was later reopened as a part of the Devon Metro in 2021, with funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme.)
• Realigning the section of railway from Dawlish to Teignmouth to prevent disruption from sea water and weather damage was said not to justify the large costs.

Completed enhancements

Some of the enhancements completed since Devon Metro started:

• The frequency on the Riviera Line was increased to two trains per hour in 2014.
• Cranbrook railway station opened in 2015.
• Newcourt railway station opened in 2015.
• Marsh Barton railway station opened in 2023.
• The Dartmoor Line reopened in 2021.
• Okehampton Interchange railway station opened in 2026.