and even the line s closure in 1972, part of the beeching cuts, was marked with some ceremony. today, the festivities continue as scheduled passenger services return, in the world for years of campaigning. back in the summer, we filmed the new tracks being laid. fantastic. this is the moment, isn t it, really, when the track gets put down, the new track and it is going to be shortly, hopefully, a trained exeter. how long have you been working on this? well, i arrived on okehampton in 1805 and ice of it well, i arrived on okehampton in 1975 and i saw it going largely derelict then and that was when i first became interested in it. the line is the very first to be open as part of the government s restoring your railway scheme but this week we have seen controversy and anger elsewhere with the scrapping of the hs2 link to leeds and the northern powerhouse line between leeds and manchester. the restoration of the dartmoor line was made easier by the fact that
and in the belly of the beast it s ryan sjob to keep the machine, well, on track. my position is to ensure that it s somewhere near, and usually i m pretty good. so you have to constantly monitor the height of your clamps so they don t hit the sleepers, the spacing of the rail behind you, and, obviously, the line itself. so it s a concentration game? yeah, big time. after week when the government s been accused of reneging on promised rail improvements in the north of england, reopening this line may seem a small step, but it is a giant leap for people here the passengers who will use it and the communities it will serve. john maguire, bbc news, devon. now it s time for a look at the weather with phil avery. hello.
to leeds and the northern powerhouse line between leeds and manchester. the restoration of the dartmoor line was made easier by the fact that after closing to passenger services it continued to be used for transporting railway ballast from a nearby quarry. it also ran as a heritage railway but now it s been upgraded. it s not as easy as you think. it hasn t been in good condition, - but there is a huge amount of work. we ve done 11 miles of track - installation in the last four weeks. it s actually been one of the fastest track installations in network rail history. well, this is the new track construction machine. it s an impressive piece of kit, around a quarter of a mile long. you can see what s happening. the grey pod at the top runs back, grabs the sleepers, brings them to the front of the train and then lays them in a perfectly straight line on the bed with the two metal tracks on top. it will run at a rate of around 400 metres per hour.
it s actually been one of the fastest track installations in network rail history. well, this is the new track construction machine. it s an impressive piece of kit, around a quarter of a mile long. you can see what s happening. the grey pod at the top runs back, grabs the sleepers, brings them to the front of the train and then lays them in a perfectly straight line on the bed with the two metal tracks on top. it will run at a rate of around 400 metres per hour. and in the belly of the beast it s ryan sjob to keep the machine, well, on track. my position is to ensure that it s somewhere near, and usually i m pretty good. so you have to constantly monitor the height of your clamps so they don t hit the sleepers, the spacing of the rail behind you, and, obviously, the line itself. so it s a concentration game? yeah, big time. after week when the government s been accused of reneging on promised rail improvements in the north of england, reopening this line may seem a small step, but i
long. you can see what is happening is a grade on top one is back, grab the sleepers, brings it to the front of the train and then raise them in a perfectly straight line on the bed with the two tracks on top. it will run at a rate of around 400 metres per hour. and in the belly of the beast it is ryan s job to keep the machine, well, on track. my position is to make sure machine, well, on track. my position is to make sure it machine, well, on track. my position is to make sure it is machine, well, on track. my position is to make sure it is somewhere - machine, well, on track. my positioni is to make sure it is somewhere near and usually i am pretty good so you have to constantly monitor the height of your plank so they don t hit your sleepers, the spacing of the veil behind you and obviously the veil behind you and obviously the line itself. 50 the veil behind you and obviously the line itself. the line itself. so it is a concentration the line itself. so it is a concentrat