I READ Paul Mercer's letter in last week's Times with interest. Like him I am no railway expert and I don't want to focus just on the relative costs and challenges of the various options that are being considered. I would just like to see our over-centralised government addressing the needs of good transport links west of Exeter and the needs of the south west region as a whole. It is worth noting that the government 75 years ago recognised this need and were committed to addressing the weakness of the Dawlish rail link with the intention of developing the more direct inland rail link into Plymouth to address this issue. This was at a time when the rail services to Plymouth included a fully operational service via Okehampton and Tavistock. It is significant that despite this route being fully operational at the time, it was not considered as a realistic solution to providing the necessary improved service into Plymouth. There surely must be some lessons to be learned from history in this respect. Robin Musgrave West Devon Borough Council Ward Member for Bere Ferrers YOUR recent correspondents have quoted several pieces of misleading information in respect of the proposed re-opening of the railway. There is mention of trains reaching 110 mph and achieving a journey time of 50 minutes from Exeter to Plymouth. Theoretically possible IF; it did not stop at Okehampton or Tavistock; IF several bridges and viaducts were re-built; IF it were dual track all the way. Do we really want visitors to Corwall/businessmen to London thundering through the national park at these speeds — and lose the Granite Way? There is not room for both. As for a 'park and ride' at Sourton, where has this come from and who is going to use it? Are we really going to get in our cars or walk to Sourton, pay for parking, then wait for a train to Exeter or Plymouth? Chris Bligh also said that this is the cheapest option by some £500 million. No — it is one of the cheapest options at £500 million. So what is being proposed is to re-build a railway which very few from this area will use, at a vast cost and put a thundering railway through the countryside and national park, losing a much used footpath and international cycleway in the process. Let us have a bit of common sense please and value what we have and what we have promoted for tourism for so many years. Alan Finch WITH the greatest respect to the letters from Jane Taylor from Paignton and J Toland from Horrabridge regarding their views on re-instatement of the line from Bere Alston to Tavistock and Okehampton, neither is a viable option. As I have said before, what is needed is a line that can be used as an alternative to the main western route if it is out of action and at the same time providing those towns with a service to Plymouth onwards or Exeter and beyond, not lightweight track for a single carriage rail car or some sort of bus running on a rubber track bed as they suggest. What both correspondents overlook is that whatever form of traction used, the track, bridges, viaducts, embankments etc all have to be maintained to a high standard at considerable cost and the only people currently capable of doing so are Network Rail backed by Government money. So if (and it's a very big if) it is ever going to happen it needs to be done properly, which means reinstating it with either double track or as a single line with passing loops to a standard capable of taking main line trains. One extra bonus could be that if the Government did approve and pay for the reinstatement, we might not have to have those 750 houses built in Tavistock! Paul Mercer   Peter Tavy