Dawlish railway station receives makeover for reopening

The storm-wrecked Dawlish railway station has been given a revamp by volunteers ahead of its reopening.

February's storms destroyed the main railway line leaving the track hanging over the sea.

Network Rail has confirmed the railway line will reopen as planned on Friday.

TV gardener Toby Buckland has joined the Friends of Dawlish Station volunteer group to give the platforms a floral new look.

The Dawlish rail line was first severely damaged in this winter's savage storms and damaged again in another violent storm on 14 February.

With the line shut, round-the-clock work has been going on to bring it back into service.

A massive landslip, involving the collapse of 20,000 tonnes of cliff-face near Teignmouth, on 4 March had threatened the planned reopening.

Broadcaster Mr Buckland joined local volunteers to get the station looking its best ahead of the opening by planting flowers and plants.

"I'm very proud of the town, it's shocking to see it so down in the heel," he said.

"It's important to me to bring it back."

The announcement means all First Great Western tickets will now be available from 4 April.

National Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: "Dawlish has shown us at our best when we work in a planned, disciplined and innovative way.

"Our aim is to emulate that approach and embed it in our organisation so that we are continuously improving the service for our customers."