BUSINESS and tourism leaders have welcomed today's scheduled reopening of the main railway line at Dawlish.
Passenger services were due to resume for the first time since severe storms demolished the sea defences and destroyed the track on St Valentine's Day.
Network Rail staff have been working day and night to rebuild the coastal rail track and sea defences to restore the vital passenger link to South Devon and Cornwall in time for the launch of the tourist season.
The major repair effort means that today's opening is a full two weeks ahead of schedule and comes at the start of the school holidays ahead of Easter.
The re-opening has been welcomed by the South Hams amid serious concerns that the area's tourism economy has already been damaged by the rail closure and the national publicity surrounding it.
For weeks now the region has been desperate to get the message across that despite the storms and the rail line damage it is still business as usual for the tourism industry.
'Visitor levels have seemed low this year, although the season has not really started yet. Opening the Dawlish line means there is now no obstacle to visitors travelling to the Westcountry to enjoy the unique attractions of the area.
'The BID company can now concentrate on developing a comprehensive marketing programme for Dartmouth in the knowledge that we can be sure visitors can actually travel to the area by train.'
His thoughts were echoed by Lesley Turner, joint manager of the Dartmouth Tourist Information Centre, who said it was 'wonderful' news.
'The closure of the line was one of the main concerns affecting tourism in the area and the fact that it is open before Easter is fantastic,' she said.
'We welcome the news that all routes to Devon are open again and look forward to welcoming rail passengers to Dartmouth again.'
John Jones, finance director of the Dartmouth Steam Railways and Riverboat Company, said the opening had come at just the right time for them.
'We have two steam charters coming through from Bristol to Kingswear in April which brings around 250 people into the town,' he said.
'So for us it's really good news.'
Francesca Johnson, of Tideford Organics and a member of the Drtmouth BID team, said: 'This is really good news for the south west and Dartmouth.
'Cross Country trains carry over 10,000 visitors on this line every Easter, so it was very important to get Dawlish open again.
'Figures indicate, however, that at any time approximately 20 per cent of people visiting this area travel by train so it is equally important that agreeing a reliable long term strategy for Devon and Cornwall rail networks remains a high priority project.
'Simply restoring the old Victorian line is, in my opinion, only the first of many steps that need taking to bring us up to the standard enjoyed by the rest of the UK.'
More than 300 engineers have been working on the damage seafront at Dawlish repairing the 100-metre breach with nearly 5,000 tonnes of concrete and 150 tonnes of steel before installing a new 200 metre track which had been ready built for installation.
Last month, a Network Rail spokesman said: 'Network Rail is acutely aware of the value of the railway to the economy of the south west of England and has been working closely with local authorities, business groups and transport providers in and around Dawlish to ensure that disruption is minimised.
'Restoring this vital asset in time for the busy school holiday period will provide a welcome boost to the regional economy as business and tourism return to South Devon and Cornwall.'
And Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail's western route managing director, said then: 'We are determined to complete this work in time for the school holidays to support the vital tourism trade in Dawlish, South Devon and across the south west of England.'
To mark the reconnection, Network Rail's chief executive has organised a celebration involving community leaders and representatives from train operators Arriva Cross Country and First Great Western at Dawlish station today.