CLLR Tony Fyson, of Above Town, Dartmouth, writes:

In the four decades since the Beeching axe fell on Dartmouth's mainline rail service, regrets have frequently been expressed that there is no longer a nationally timetabled way of travelling easily to the town by train.  

A Dartmouth & Kingswear Society working group recently met to consider the idea of re-establishing the service, which famously used to involve a river ferry connection to a station with no railway tracks.

The group acknowledged the various factors which suggest that renewed interest in the idea is timely, including easing pressure on the roads, attracting investment and economic regeneration and benefitting tourism and the environment. It agreed that if possible a specialist railway consultancy firm should be engaged to prepare a feasibility study of the proposal. 

This D&K decision to explore the possibility of re-connecting Dartmouth to the national rail network sets the Society on what promises to be a long process of discussion and persuasion. On Tuesday 18th February, at 7.30pm in the Flavel a free public forum will be held to gather support for the idea and to gauge opinion on the options that might be pursued. There will be a small panel to answer questions.

 The D&K is under no illusion about the difficulties to be overcome but it believes that the benefits of the reconnection to both local people and visitors would be considerable.

 The open public forum. to which entry is free, will be held at 7.30pm at the Flavel on Tuesday, February 18.