Plans for trains to Tavistock move further down the line

Joint Press Release – Devon County Council and Kilbride

PROGRESS on the proposals to re-open the line from Bere Alston to Tavistock will be highlighted at the Community Rail Conference and Festival in Plymouth this weekend.

Devon County Council Leader Brian Greenslade and Kilbride Properties MD Peter Frost will provide an update on the proposals for the Tamar Valley Line which were unveiled by Kilbride in the Spring. They are announcing that the track bed of the old line, owned by BRB Property, will be transferred to the County Council later this year. Negotiations with other land owners are also progressing. The plan would re-instate the track from Bere Alston station to a new station at Tavistock along the line of the railway closed in 1968. A regular through train service would be operated to and from Plymouth.

The County Council Executive agreed earlier in the year to take a minority interest in a joint company with Kilbride to deliver the project. The detailed agreement for the company is currently being drawn up and subject to approval by both Kilbride and the County Council it will be set up on November 1.

Kilbride Properties MD Peter Frost said: "A lot of effort has gone into presenting the Kilbride proposals to the residents of Tavistock and the Bere Penninsula over the summer and making submissions to the West Devon Borough Council Local Development Framework. I am very pleased that West Devon has included the railway in its preferred LDF option for Tavistock which is now out for consultation. I am also very pleased that the County Council is supporting the project through the joint company."
Councillor Greenslade said: "I am pleased to announce this major step forward with the track bed of the old line due to be transferred to the County Council later this year and we hope that negotiations with other landowners will continue positively. I welcome the strong interest from Kilbride in providing this important rail link. If it comes to fruition it will demonstrate what local authorities and property developers can achieve in providing sustainable transport. The County Council will do all it can to facilitate the implementation of the scheme through the joint company."

Note for Editors

Embargoed until Friday 19 September when the announcements will be made at the Community Rail Conference and Festival.

Media representatives are invited to a photo opportunity with Councillor Brian Greenslade and Peter Frost at Bere Ferrers at 12 noon on Saturday 20 September, as part of the Community Rail Conference and Festival.

Councillor Brian Greenslade

Published on 19/09/2008