DARTMOOR Railway last week welcomed the publication of a consultation paper predicting a bright future for rural railways.
The consultation paper on community railways published last Thursday by the Strategic Rail Authority offers positive plans to develop under-used rural train lines.
Dartmoor Railway at Okehampton is mentioned in the paper as an example of good practice.
Among the proposals in the paper is the development of initiatives for the local management and operation of small community branch lines like Dartmoor Railway.
John Hummel, managing director of Dartmoor Railway, advised the SRA during the preparation of the paper.
He said: ?We are very pleased that what we have achieved at Dartmoor Railway has been taken up in the proposals as an example of how rural lines can be managed and developed more cost-effectively by a local operator.
?Dartmoor Railway hope to be able to play a part in supporting the local authorities in the successful development of pilot projects in Cornwall and elsewhere.
?This is potentially the best thing which has happened for rural lines for decades, but we must make sure the opportunity is taken to make the most of it.?
Mr Hummel added: ?The SRA?s proposals offer a very positive future for rural railways if they are fully supported by our local authorities and communities. The proposals offer the prospect of being able to develop local railways and their train services more efficiently through innovation and local management.
?The branch lines in Devon and Cornwall receive considerable amounts of public support and play an important role in the local economies and communities they serve.
?The proposal is about getting better value for money by increasing passenger numbers and the benefits this brings to local communities, particularly in sustainable tourism.
The paper has been developed with the support of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP), of which Dartmoor Railway is a member.
ACoRP chair Peter Roberts described the consultation paper as ?remarkably upbeat and positive?.
The paper identifies five lines across the UK as pilot schemes to test out different approaches, including two Cornish lines ? Liskeard-Looe and St Erth-St Ives.
Proposals for local management, greater integration between train operators and infrastructure management, performance regimes, fares and ticketing and bus-rail integration will be tested out on these pilot routes.
The consultation period runs until the end of May.