Campaigners working to reconnect North Cornwall to the rail network have welcomed a significant boost after Cornwall Council agreed to fund a high-level feasibility study into the project. The announcement marks the first formal commitment from the council since the campaign began.
The development builds on the recently announced Kernow Connect rail vision, which proposes a new rail “spine line” running from Okehampton to Launceston, Bodmin and onward to Penzance, reconnecting with Cornwall’s existing rail network. The vision aims to improve connectivity across Cornwall, provide greater rail resilience, support freight movements, and dramatically reduce journey times to London.
Under the proposals, a new railway would connect Okehampton Interchange to Launceston and the potential for the route to continue towards Bodmin. Campaigners believe the wider scheme could reduce rail journey times between Penzance and London by as much as two and a half hours while creating a new strategic transport corridor through the county.
The feasibility study will help assess the project’s viability and provide evidence for future discussions with national government and transport bodies. Cornwall Council is expected to consider the scheme as part of its long-term planning for the period between 2030 and 2050.
Connect Bude has long supported efforts to improve transport links across North Cornwall and welcomes this positive step forward.
Commenting on the announcement, Connect Bude Chair Richard Wolfenden-Brown said:
“After many years of collaborative campaigning it is great to have a tangible positive development. The ‘spine-line’ has all the potential to become the public transport backbone of the South West!”
While there remains much work to do before trains return to North Cornwall, the commitment to a feasibility study represents the strongest indication yet that the vision is being taken seriously by decision-makers. For communities that have faced decades of limited transport options, it is an encouraging sign that better connections may finally be on the horizon.
