PETER Frost, of Kilbride Community Rail, recently met members of Calstock Parish Council at the Tamar Valley Centre, to discuss the implications for the Tamar Valley Line of the proposed new rail link between Plymouth and Tavistock. Mr Frost said that he had been unaware that interested parties users on the Cornish bank of the Tamar had not been consulted.
Councillors pointed out that the proposal to introduce two services, the one-coach 153 service to Gunnislake and the two-coach 150 service to Tavistock, both serving the same commuter stations from Bere Alston down to Plymouth would almost halve the number of journey places available on the Gunnislake service, while the 150 would cream off significant numbers of commuter journeys down the line.
The subsequent apparent reduction in passenger numbers would severely endanger the survival of the Gunnislake Line. The service is essential to Calstock Parish, especially as the train is so important with regard to accessing health care and employment in Plymouth.
Peter Frost acknowledged the councillors' concerns and agreed to look at abandoning the idea of a separate rail service from Plymouth to Tavistock but to investigate the possibility of a shuttle linking Bere Alston and Tavistock, with passengers from Plymouth to Tavistock changing at Bere Alston. This would safeguard the Tamar Valley Line, while still providing a rail link with Tavistock.
Councillors thanked Mr Frost for taking the time and the trouble to meet them and to listen to their concerns. They were appreciative of his readiness to acknowledge the problems and his willingness to take action to solve them.
Dorothy Kirk
Calstock Parish Councillor