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From the Western Morning News
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/homepagenews/Rail-plan-link-tourist-hotspots/article-1322549-detail/article.html  (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/homepagenews/Rail-plan-link-tourist-hotspots/article-1322549-detail/article.html)

It's interesting to see the use of the word "ambitious"
What's so ambitious about running a train service between two different points which BR did years ago? It's not that they are opening a new line or something.

I'm happy to read that FGW are investigating this idea as I've felt for a long time that a Newquay-Falmouth service in Cornwall has potential - especially given developments & plans in Penryn, Eden and the proposed Eco-town but also because of congestion problems around Truro and the  growth in commuter traffic involving Falmouth, Truro, St Austell and Newquay. However, its viabilty would, I think, depend on faster journey times to Newquay. Ultimately, we'll be back to the question of whether it's better to invest in the present route via Roche or take the plunge and go for a St Dennis Junc-St Austell line, I think.   

This will need further investment on Falmouth - Truro too, IF the newly introduced half-hourly clock face service is to survive as part of any possible enhanced Newquay - Falmouth offering. There'll be no room for any delays on the branch if you are to weave additional services into the CML between Truro and Par. A remodelling of Par would probably need to be considered too.

What? it would be easy, half hourly on the fal branch with every 4th train going through to nqy giving a 2 hourly service to Newquay, a half hourl service can't run throughout!

What about a 2 hourly service from Plymouth to Newquay. Not just because it is a big place, but because people can connect after they've been dumped from a FGW/XC train which terminates at Plymouth.

There's virtually no useable slack on the Falmouth line now, any delay on the Falmouth would result in havoc pathing the train between Truro and Par. If this is to be a starter pathing will be critical especially as there'll be the Burngullow stop to fit into the schedule too. Part of the examination of this route should include a serious look at Grampound Road reopening too.

Not at all, recovery time could be at Truro in each direction, theres plenty of slack between tru-fal, the only tight bit is the turn around at Truro, for e.g;

Fal 1020, Pyn arr 1030 dep 1034, truro arr 1048 dep 1058 sau arr/dep 1115 par arr 1122 dep 1130 nqy arr 1220

services could even run half hourly from Fal-Par with every 4th train to Nqy or hourly Fal-Par and hourly shuttle Fal-tru (making Tru-fal half hourly) with every second Par service going to newquay, there would actually be more slack with direct services

The problem is that 2 hours by train for a 25-mile (or so) car journey is not likely to hold much appeal. The Par-Newquay route very slow. Has anyone produced an estimation of the journey time from St Austell-Newquay via a reopened and upgraded St Dennis route?

This proposal is already interesting in that it raises the possibility of a direct Falmouth-Penryn-Truro-St Austell service.   

Andy has hit the nail on the head. Unless there is a miracle cure to speed uo the Newquay line, then the time from Newquay to Par rules out viablity to extend to St Austell & Truro. Most customers on the Newquay services come from /are destined for stations east of Par, and the number of connecting passengers show this. I too think that Falmouth-St Austell is more exciting, but how about attaching one train every two hours to a Penzance-Plymouth stopper to provide a)Falmouth-Plymouth through service b)an additional carriage to the heavily used units between Truro and Plymouth. To maintain the Falmouth Branch frequency would, however, require a balance diagram in the opposite direction close to the same time at Truro

The problems multiply with this route if you reverse at St Austell. You would effectively be providing a superb Burngullow - St Austell service though as each FAL - NQY train would traverse the route twice. The repercussions at St Austell would be interesting too as intensive signalling and point operation would be required to operate the reversal. I would assume that both directions at St Austell would end up using the same platform.   

The Burngullow - St Dennis Link would be quite spectacular with the Clay workings

See Clay Country Route (http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/rail.mht)

for a map.

A lot of you will be suprised just how many people travel from Newquay to the West, particularly now there are more trains, the through journey time from Newquay to Truro would be about 1hr 10mins, about the same as the bus, but lets not forget the intermediete stations on the Newquay aswell.

A couple of points...

1) If the relaying of this link is a possibility, how many and where would you put new stops? I see there are four centres of population, St Dennis, Nanpean, Foxhole & High Street.

2) There is also a possibilty that a planned new "eco-town" could be built near Nanpean, which I believe, consists of about 5000 houses. I think that this could/should be taken into consideration on any future services.

Not forgetting Eco-village at Burngullow/Blackpool, also the line runs straight through Treviscoe which suffers from a poor bus service.

From my schooldays when I used to travel between St. Austell and Truro, I have often thought that a westerly spur at Burngullow from the St Dennis junction line to the main line would do away with the need for trains to go to St. Austell or Par. As I remember it however the present junction at Burngullow climbs away steeply to St Dennis junction and this may a problem as I believe that the main line descends towards what was Grampound Road. Just a thought  :)

HELLO, if people dont wake up the Newquay Branch will never serve a purpose as a 'local' line apart from to/from the current direct stations ROC/BGL etc, the linespeeds are far to low mainly due to pointless crossings and pointless speed restrictions on unused Xings, NR should tackle this and several minutes could be saved, NQY to FAL. But train is a stupidly long time, probably beaten by push bike. Also the NQY to TRU bus service is fairly quick. The only real way to make the NQY line viable is to push for the St.Austell via St.Dennis option, not much stopping it now that IMERYS operations are so low...

For those interested in a bit of nostalgia, a super series of three films has been posted on youtube on the 'original' Truro-Newquay service (via Chacewater). The purpose seems not only to commemorate the old line but to inform about FoCal, the group trying hard to promote the Atlantic coast line.

Here's the link to the first part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXjZl-oGfV4


The same person has posted a "Par-Newquay in three minutes" video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZhg5y5gbXg&feature=related

Interesting video, must be quite old though, as far as I know the connection to Ponts Mill was removed after a derailment. Not to mention the class 37 at Goonbarrow!! Oh, and two platforms and signalbox at Newquay plus various random branches.

I'm suprised there has never been a preservation attempt on the Perranport part of the line, would make a lovely run to Goonhavern along the valley, although you'd struggle to get through Goonhavern now thanks to an in-filled cutting with houses built on it.