Campaigners to have a railway line restored, linking Tavistock to Plymouth via Bere Alston, have spoken of their shock at not being granted funding.

The pressure group TavyRail had high hopes their high-profile campaigning would have prompted the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to agree to £1.5m needed for initial planning for the short line in her recent summer spending plans announcement.

However, their arguments that the line (shut under the infamous countrywide government Beeching cuts) would promote economic growth and reduce road congestion and traffic pollution, did not prevail.

Richard Searight, TavyRail chair said: “To say that we were surprised at the government’s lack of interest in the South West and therefore the Plymouth/Tavistock line restoration would be an understatement. We were flabbergasted.

“We thought the government wanted growth. Railways are one of the best ways to create growth - except, apparently, in the South West.

“We thought the government was interested in infrastructure development. The only northern road into Plymouth is approaching grid lock in rush hours.

“The railway would have been the obvious solution – except in the South West. We thought the government was interested in the green agenda.

“The Plymouth/Tavistock line would avoid hundreds of thousands of commuter, business and leisure car journeys every year - except in the South West!

“While countless billions were poured into railway projects in the rest of the country not even 1% of the development money for the business case and acquisition of the initial report was vouched safe for the South West.”

He emphasised the restoration of the line would not only be vital for the development of Plymouth and Tavistock, but also for the second phase of the restoration of the train route linking the South West Peninsula with London and the rest of the country. The current link includes the Dawlish coastal line which is vulnerable to storms and sometimes closed due to large waves.

Richard added: “Beeching left the South West with a single line running along a beach! Sixty years later this is still the case. As things stand the government will go into the 2028/9 election as a party who not only oversaw the catastrophic destruction of Tavistock/Plymouth rail links, but blocked their restoration. There have to be electoral consequences.”