ACCORDING to Devon County Council's recently published official consultations outcomes report on the Tavistock to Bere Alston Rail Project, the public enthusiasm reported in your newspaper last week is actually rather less than overwhelming.

The report cites 223 respondents as being in favour of the project and 145 respondents being opposed. The total of 368 respondents is not much of a barometer of opinion — statistically pretty unimpressive if you take the figures for the population as a whole — and a majority of 78 in favour is at best marginal.

If Devon County Council are so determined to build a railway from Tavistock to Bere Alston at vast public expense, at least let them build some kind of shuttle to Bere Alston and let the passengers get off there and get on to the Tamar Valley Line, the train to Calstock and Gunnislake.

If it subsequently fails at least it won't damage the little train that is so vital to the communities on the Cornish bank of the Tamar.

Dorothy Kirk

Calstock Road

Gunnislake