I HAVE read several of the surveys that have been carried out to find out how many people would use a re-opened rail line to Okehampton and Tavistock. 

It must be worth pointing out that, wherever rail lines have been re-opened in the UK, the passenger numbers have been much greater than any of the forecasts. 

The Ebbw Vale line, in South Wales, re-opened in 2008 and has since needed to be extended with more track and new stations to meet passenger demand, which continues to grow. 

The most striking recent addition to the UK rail network is the 30-mile Borders Railway connecting Edinburgh with the Scottish Borders.  The line was originally closed in 1969, the year after Okehampton —Tavistock lost its passenger servic, but was re-opened in September 2015 after a £294-million re-build. 

The most optimistic forecasts expected around 650,000 passenger journeys a year but in the first month alone nearly 126,000 people used the line and the latest projections suggest well over one million passenger journeys a year. 

It seems very likely that a re-opened Exeter —Okehampton — Tavistock — Plymouth line would also prove more popular than any current forecasts. The Borders Railway is already benefiting from tourist travel and surely the Dartmoor area must have enormous tourist potential. What are we waiting for?

Colin Lee

North Tawton