Government urged not to ditch Devon rail scheme

Rail campaigners in Devon are calling on the government to back plans to reinstate a railway link from Plymouth to Tavistock, saying only £1.5m is needed to keep the "important" project alive.

Services to Tavistock ended in 1960s during the cuts by Dr Richard Beeching when the railways were restructured.

The previous Conservative government said some of the savings from scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 project would be spent on reopening the line between Plymouth and Tavistock.

The current Labour government said in July it was cancelling a number of rail projects and reviewing others, saying communities were promised new transport infrastructure with no plan or funding to deliver them.

TavyRail, a campaign group that seeks to reconnect the Tavistock railway line, said only 1% - £1.5m - of the project's £150m budget was needed to complete its business case and obtain necessary reports, with the remainder of the funding not being required until construction is due to start in 2028.

“It’s absolutely essential that there isn’t a block,” said Richard Searight, the chair of TavyRail.

“We don’t want to start again in 2028 with another four years of planning.

"We just want to keep the seed money going forward.

"It’s very important, not only for Tavistock but crucially for west Plymouth."

The campaigners and politicians supporting the laying of a new five mile (8km) track section between Tavistock and Bere Alston believe the need has never been greater.

"The A386 cannot cope with thousands more houses that are being built north of Plymouth,” said Mandy Ewings, leader of West Devon Borough Council.

“It just will not be sustainable. The cycle track has not arrived yet and it is just too clogged."

Rebecca Smith, the Conservative MP for South West Devon, said it was not just about Plymouth to Tavistock.

"It’s about unlocking the opportunity to do a metro rail link which is in the joint local plan," she said.

"It’s there - if we want more homes and if we want more jobs, we’ve got to provide the transport infrastructure and I believe that this money that was located from HS2 will enable that enabling work."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Restoring Your Railways scheme has been cancelled, not individual projects.

"Those at the delivery stage will be completed with the rest being considered under the department’s internal review.

“We remain committed to improving rail connections, investing in infrastructure that will drive economic growth and opportunity while delivering value for money for taxpayers.”

Mr Searight said he understood the Tavistock scheme was one of the projects being reviewed this month by the government and he was hopeful for a positive outcome.

The ultimate goal for supporters of the scheme is that it could be joined up running all the way from Exeter St Davids, through Okehampton and Tavistock to Plymouth.