Campaign for Tavistock reopening

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

One could be forgiven for thinking that it is being put off until it becomes unaffordable.

I'm sure the developer of the housing project claimed they had not made enough money from the project to build the new railway station?

Personally, I think it does need a railway but I doubt it will happen.  First buses 83, 84 and 86 used to be very good, every 20 minutes, especially nice when the P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) Enviro's moved onto the route, since Stagecoach have taken over its been chopped and changed and now there is no more fast bus from Tavistock to Plymouth.

I'm a bit puzzled by your comments.  Stagecoach 1 service (Plymouth to Tavistock) has been every 15 minutes in the core daytime (Monday to Saturday) since Stagecoach took over from First Group.  I use it quite frequently (living not too far from the middle of the route) and its quite a well used service.

[Plymboi]

These houses are finally going to be built of Callington Road soon.
I wonder if this is indication the railway is edging closer. If provision is being left for the reinstanted rail link.

Read that embankment would have to be altered if used as a single track route. Is that considerable work?

[RichardB]

The good news is that Devon County Council have announced that they are to bid to the Government's Beeching Reversal Funds for money to take the Tavistock scheme forward.  Devon own around 90% of the trackbed, much of the preparatory work has been done and there is the £11 m or so in s106 developers' contributions from the houses being built around the proposed new station site by Callington Road in Tavistock.  The Government have made it clear that the £500m is to develop proposals, with the clear implication that there will need to be more Government money to make the proposals they accept a reality.  There was a bit on today's Politics South West programme (Okehampton features too) - starts at 09m 30 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fc3t/politics-south-west-09022020

[johnneyw]

The good news is that Devon County Council have announced that they are to bid to the Government's Beeching Reversal Funds for money to take the Tavistock scheme forward.  Devon own around 90% of the trackbed, much of the preparatory work has been done and there is the £11 m or so in s106 developers' contributions from the houses being built around the proposed new station site by Callington Road in Tavistock.  The Government have made it clear that the £500m is to develop proposals, with the clear implication that there will need to be more Government money to make the proposals they accept a reality.  There was a bit on today's Politics South West programme (Okehampton features too) - starts at 09m 30 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fc3t/politics-south-west-09022020

Which would also effectively reduce the gap on the mooted northern route through Okehampton.

[Umberleigh]

Some good news, thanks.

I strongly believe that If Tavistock happens, Okehampton will happen or vice versa, as the passenger revenue will significantly exceed forecasts (look at the growth on the other SW branch lines).

[RichardB]

Some good news, thanks.

I strongly believe that If Tavistock happens, Okehampton will happen or vice versa, as the passenger revenue will significantly exceed forecasts (look at the growth on the other SW branch lines).

Thanks.  I think Okehampton will be first.  All eyes on the announcement of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s Direct Award to continue running their network from 1 April. 

[TonyK]

Thanks.  I think Okehampton will be first.  All eyes on the announcement of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s Direct Award to continue running their network from 1 April. 

So do I. The challenges are legal rather than engineering and legal.

[grahame]

Is there a community / campaign group in Tavistock pressing to work with all the various powers that be / interested parties for the re-instatement of the Tavistock - Bere Alston section?  Rather line OkeRail ( https://www.facebook.com/okerail/ ) presses for Okehampton, or the Portishead Railway Group ( https://www.portisheadrailwaygroup.org ) for Portishead, or SaveTheTrain ( http://www.savethetrain.org.uk ) did for Melksham?

Although such groups have only very limited resources to do the actual work, they are community triggers which can help make the case, and help it forward through the various stages. Where a scheme seems at risk of being sidetracked or derailed, the community can bring focus to bear on the ultimate outcome desired. 

Princetown Today reports Transport upgrade backed by Devon County Council:

AN ambituous plan for 110 major transport improvements in the county including utilising the railway line between Tavistock and Bere Alston and a package of small scale improvements on the A386 has been back by Devon County Council.

Last week the county council’s cabinet approved a programme of instructure improvements across the county that can be progressed once the coronavirus outbreak is under control.

It also approved a capital programme of investments of £95-million over the next two years, with over half being spent on the North Devon Link Road improvement scheme.

Of the £95-million of investment, £90.91-million comes from external sources including grants and developer contributions.

Cllr Philip Sanders said: ...

He said reinstating the railway between Tavistock and Bere Alston was still very much on the agenda as the authority had applied for money from the Government’s Beeching Reversal Fund to look into its feasibility but the council was also looking at other sustainable travel options between Tavistock to Bere Alston as the costs had now risen to in the region of £100-million.

Bere Alston to Tavistock seeems to have been under discussion for nearly a decade and a half - see my notes at http://www.passenger.chat/790 from October 2007 ... and to find us here in 2020 still in a "what's the best way, folks - cycles or trains" analysis, with a scheme for cycles being promted / pushed and still competing for funds to look at the rail option is, frankly, depressing.  Unless the reader knows better - I'm just reading an articl from a local rag, and online finding only a Facebook Group which - though interesting - has content that's more reminiscences that community campaign.

[RichardB]

No, there isn't a community group (yet), Graham, and I think there are probably two main reasons why - 1) the scheme has the support of Devon County Council and they are taking it forward (though it has stalled in the last two or so years due to money) and 2) the deal about the new houses had a lot of opposition in Tavistock.  The houses, of course, got approved and (I think - I've not seen the site for a while) building has started.  I know, and you'll have seen it on that Facebook group, that there is a lot of frustration that the houses are happening but the railway isn't, yet at least.

All the focus at Devon County Council is on getting the Government to approve Bere Alston - Tavistock as a heavy rail reopening under the Beeching Reversal Fund.  To me, if the Beeching Reversal Fund is actually going to rebuild and reopen closed railways, Tavistock has got to be right up there among the top half a dozen schemes across the country.  So much of the land has been assembled and so much of the preparatory work has been done.

[Umberleigh]

Completely agree.

I wonder how much an independent assessment of the costings involved will be? I would happily contribute towards this as  I suspect Network Rail routinely inflate the costs of any project they don’t wish to get involved with.

[grahame]

From Totnes Today

A long-awaited vital decision to reinstate a rail link between Tavistock and Bere Alston, completing a line to Plymouth, has been announced today and welcomed as a 'huge boost to the economy and people's lives'.

After the expected announcement of the scrapping of the multi-billion pound HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) line by the Prime Minister, a newly-created Government body called Network North has said funds will be released to improve the rail network across the country.

This includes the Tavistock to Bere Alston line which has been welcomed by West Devon leaders as a huge boost to investment and the economy and to improve access to health and education and tourism.

[GBM]

Looking at the map for ou local TV news on this, and as seen above, why is there a link from Bere Alston, thus making Tavistock and Gunnislake branches.
Why not link Tavistock to Gunnislake?

Reminds me of splitting at Georgemas.

[grahame]

Looking at the map for ou local TV news on this, and as seen above, why is there a link from Bere Alston, thus making Tavistock and Gunnislake branches.
Why not link Tavistock to Gunnislake?

Reminds me of splitting at Georgemas.

[:laugh:] - look at the physical geography.

A Georgemas style operation would mean that trains from Plymouth would reverse up and down to Gunnislake before carrying on to Tavistock ... I think that has already been ruled out; I have seen interesting suggestions before.

But this is just a promise at this stage.  And as we saw yesterday, this government is capable of breaking promises.   The £2 bus fare extension from the end of this month is probably safe until the next election, but as for most of the rest ...  my thoughts

[ChrisB]

So - should this go ahead, how will services work? a la Georgemas Junction or splitting trains at Bere Alston or...reversing at Gunnislake to Bere & then onto Tavistock? If I was in a RUG^» (Rail User Group - about) at Gunnislake, I might have a concern or two.

[RichardB]

So - should this go ahead, how will services work? a la Georgemas Junction or splitting trains at Bere Alston or...reversing at Gunnislake to Bere & then onto Tavistock? If I was in a RUG^» (Rail User Group - about) at Gunnislake, I might have a concern or two.

The strong message from the Cornish side is that they want to retain their through Plymouth trains so the plan is for the Gunnislake service to be similar to now with an hourly Plymouth - Tavistock service overlaid on top.