THE re-opening of the Okehampton and Tavistock rail line could bring huge economic benefit to the area according to a report commissioned by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Research com-missioned by the CPRE has found that the 'impacts of rail service re-opening on the local and regional economy are likely to be significant and on balance positive'.

The 'Rural Reconnections' report produced by rail research specialists Greengauge 21 examines the case for re-opening the Okehampton and Tavistock route. It finds that, combining the benefit of a resilient diversionary route with those that result from linking up communities and businesses currently cut off from the rail network, will hugely strengthen the argument for re-opening the line.

Other benefits include increasing opportunities for commuters and boosting tourism, as well as providing a model for the modernisation of rural rail links across the country.

The study proposes that the line is re-instated as a second line for the area rather than to replace the coastal line through Dawlish.

In his foreword to the report, Shaun Spiers, chief executive for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said that areas cut off from the rail network face growing disadvantages and the interviews contained within the report 'speak volumes for the enormous popularity of re-opening railways'.

'This report sets out why better railways are essential if we want to protect and enhance our countryside and get more people visiting and enjoying it,' he said. 'It shows that re-opening is not an exercise in nostalgia but vital both to unlocking the potential of rural areas and securing a resilient transport network.

'The changing climate will increasingly threaten the resilience of our infrastructure, so it is not only the far South West that needs diversionary rail routes. Moreover this report makes a compelling case as to the economic, social and environmental benefits of restoring sections of rail lines that were axed in the 1960s, turning them from dead ends into through routes again.

'With growing numbers of households in our urban areas not owning cars, the direction of travel will certainly not be one-way. Travelling by train offers an enjoyable way to reach our finest and most tranquil countryside while minimising negative impacts.

'While the recent return to road building threatens some of England's most treasured places, we are doing next to nothing to widen travel choices outside of cities. That is why CPRE is calling for a "smarter travel first" approach to make road building the option of last resort whether in town or country.

'If rural areas receive their fair share of national investment, railways, like this one, can be re-opened with great benefits to the countryside, its communities and those who wish to visit it.'

Penny Mills of CPRE Devon said: 'Large parts of Devon and North Cornwall have no trains. Reopening the railway from Exeter to Okehampton and beyond would make such a tremendous difference, unlocking local economies as well as making it easier for people to reach wonderful countryside.'

Richard Searight, the chairman of the Peninsula Rail Group —which is made up of rail professionals, academics and stakeholders, who are campaigning for the reintroduction of the Exeter-Okehampton-Tavistock-Plymouth railway line — welcomes the CPRE's findings.

He told the Times: 'The Campaign to Protect Rural England Greengauge 21 report is the report that we should have had from Network Rail. It presents the complete economic case for the northern route in the round. It is actually a very good read!

'The CPRE report underlines the fact that restoration of the Okehampton/Tavistock line is "not a nice to have but a must have!"'

He said Plymouth suffered crippling losses when bad weather disrupted the single main line into the city for 54 days in February 2014 (when the main South West railway line was cut off at Dawlish seafront due to high winds and strong seas).

'The economic development of West Devon and North Cornwall has been crippled for approaching 50 years.

'The restoration of the Okehampton Tavistock line not only means that people can travel to Plymouth whatever the weather but that the whole region can reconnect to the mainland.

'If I were to take issue with the report it would just be to say that it promotes the economic case for a single line.

'We would add that if the line is to be truly fit for the purpose of both providing resilience for Plymouth and the South West's needs, and the local traffic generated, it will be essential that the line is restored to its original mainline status.

'Many of us can spend as long in our cars getting to a station as actually travelling in the train!'