THE recent letters expressing opposition to the reopening of the Tavistock railway line seem to express opinions that cannot be supported by the facts about this line or the present usage of UK railways.
It is widely accepted that the A386 between Plymouth and Tavistock is inadequate and with the continuing growth in traffic, major improvements will have to be considered.
These works will cause years of delays and complete devastation to the countryside. The choice is this or re-open the Tavistock — Bere Alston line using an existing double track bed, that is reported in good condition.
The proposed new station will not be up the hill but on the edge of town, with easy road and bus access with a planned hourly service with a journey time of half an hour to Plymouth!
As to the alleged complete capital cost of £18-million, quoted by Ann Keelan, this would build almost two miles of single carriageway at £10.6-million. (Hansard 24.5.06).
More relevant was the cost of the recent Roborough intersection and car park at £14-million!
How can we consider these sort of costs when there is such an excellent cheaper alternative?
The business case will be the huge environmental benefits with the reduction in road traffic not just from Tavistock but from the Bere Peninsula into Tavistock, for example three school buses a day (each can traverse the town six times).
When your correspondent talks about connections at Plymouth she does not mention the nearby university with 30,540 students and over 3,000 staff all within walking distance of the main station and the improvements that will be made to St Budeaux and main station interchanges for other connections.
Tavistock is one of the few major towns that are not on the rail network which gives such excellent service to the rest of the country.
Why should Tavistock residents be deprived of these opportunities when new lines and stations are reopening throughout the UK?
The choice is a sustainable railway where you can travel to work in safety and comfort or struggling along on the A386 twice a day. I know which way I would want to go!
Brian Lamb
Bere Ferrers