New Main Line for Cornwall

[Sir Felix Pole]

One for the crayonistas amongst us! Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire has proposed a new line from Okehampton to Bodmin Parkway via Launceston. Apparently it has a BCR of 2.0!

Kernow Connect

NORTH Cornwall’s MP has hailed ‘vital progress’ on plans for a new rail connection across Cornwall as part of a new ‘Kernow Connect’ project.
The scheme has grown from initial feasibility work undertaken by Connect North Cornwall and Launceston Town Council. Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire has requested Cornwall Council move forward with further feasibility work for the ambitious scheme, after securing a meeting with the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, to present the proposals to officials at the Department for Transport.

The plans aim to introduce a new fully-electrified rail line running from Okehampton to Bodmin via Launceston, before reconnecting with the existing mainline in an effort to significantly improve connectivity across the Duchy and parts of Devon.
If successful, the project will deliver much faster journey times of around two and a half hours from Truro to London and improved, resilient access to mainline rail for around 600,000 residents of Cornwall, Devon and beyond. It will also open up significant freight transport opportunities for industry and critical minerals across Cornwall - helping to reduce pressure on key road infrastructure.

Link to the map.

Kernow Connect Map

 

[EyeKay]

I’m not sure what the source of all the heavy freight is. The existing line seems to cope ok with china clay traffic.

 

[brad465]

I'd love to know what they were smoking when claiming a route like that has a BCR of 2 while not going through Plymouth, and above all thinking Truro can be reached from London in 2 and a half hours. I suspect a base tunnel under Dartmoor from Exeter-Plymouth has a much higher BCR than what this guy has just proposed.

 

[HSTEd]

If you want to build a high speed line to Cornwall..... why would you go north of Dartmoor rather than via where all the people are (the south side of Dartmoor)

 

[Gloster]

Up from Okehampton to Halwill, down to Launceston, across to Otterham, then down to Bodmin and Bodmin Road. It is as simple as that, so I wonder why nobody has done it before.

 

[Zomboid]

I like a crayon sandwich as much as anyone, but this is hilarious...

 

[Western Sunset]

There are proposals. Then there are unrealistic proposals. Then there are crazy proposals. Then there is this...

London to Truro in 2h 30m. Any catch? Ah, "Assuming the line to Exeter is electrified and improved". Will that be the LSWR or GW?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

and above all thinking Truro can be reached from London in 2 and a half hours.

It takes over two hours just to get from Paddington to Exeter. You would need a West Country HS? to make Truro in two and a half.

 

[Bald Rick]

I should imagine GBR will be in touch very shortly to have their logo removed from that website, or the lawyers will be involved, very expensively for the proposers of this…

 

[brad465]

It takes over two hours just to get from Paddington to Exeter. You would need a West Country HS? to make Truro in two and a half.

Also, I think if it were ever possible to get from London to Cornwall in 2 and half hours, the Cornish would strongly reject it as it would overwhelm the country with tourists that makes the current level of tourism look like a run-down ex-coastal resort.

 

[Trainguy34]

Most of these benefits feel like they've been taken straight from a GCSE Geography textbook!

 

[HSTEd]

Also, I think if it were ever possible to get from London to Cornwall in 2 and half hours, the Cornish would strongly reject it as it would overwhelm the country with tourists that makes the current level of tourism look like a run-down ex-coastal resort.

I think the Cornish would find day-tripper dominated tourism preferable to the holiday home dominated tourism of today....

 

[Snow1964]

I had to do a Google earth, satellite view along the reconstructed A30 to understand the route.

Although the gradients would be fairly hefty, probably better than some of the Devon banks, and unlike the current line doesn't wiggle around following streams down valleys

But I really can't see the 2.5 hours being achieved, unless also have a cut off bypassing north of Exeter (Newton St Cryes to Stoke Canon / Rewe area) and a straighter cut off of some of the worst speed restricted curves in Savernake - Bedwyn area.

If there is actually a commercial need is completely different question

 

[Bald Rick]

One suspects that someone has worked out Paddington to Truro via this new route is 275 miles, and divided by 110mph…

 

[yorksrob]

Up from Okehampton to Halwill, down to Launceston, across to Otterham, then down to Bodmin and Bodmin Road. It is as simple as that, so I wonder why nobody has done it before.

Yes, and include an extension to Wadebridge and Padstow please.

 

[Cowley]

It looks like someone has said “How do most people get to Cornwall? Why, via the A30 obviously! Let’s make a super fast train A30!”

 

[yoyothehobo]

If i saw this as a university project proposal, i would be giving them very low marks...

 

[FGWHST43009]

I'd love to know what they were smoking when claiming a route like that has a BCR of 2 while not going through Plymouth, and above all thinking Truro can be reached from London in 2 and a half hours. I suspect a base tunnel under Dartmoor from Exeter-Plymouth has a much higher BCR than what this guy has just proposed.

I agree, why avoid serving the biggest city in Devon?

Surely a new Exeter-Plymouth line and an upgraded Cornish Main Line would be better?

Launceston could be served by a new line from the rebuilt Okehampton-Plymouth line. If extending to Bodmin, it'll probably be a single track line at 100mph max but mostly 75mph, not a high speed line.

 

[zwk500]

Apparently it has a BCR of 2.0!

Which is impressive given it doesn't mention a cost anywhere - rather conspicuous by it's absent, that.

Also this:

Improves business case for reopening rail line from Tavistock to Okehampton.

which 1. no it doesn't and 2. What about Bere Alston to Tavistock?

And this:

One freight train would take up to 129 HGVs off the A30

Is rather optimistic given NR usually quote around 80 HGVs for one freight train.

And not to mention that building the line to W12 is of little benefit if it doesn't connect to the rest of the W12 network (Not that a new line *shouldn't* be built to W12 or even UIC-GB, just that the benefits aren't immediately realiseable).

 

[squingo44]

I can kind of see the rationale for this proposal. It makes the most sense to consider it as a new Cornish main line, with electrification, a 150-200 kmh alignment, and a branch to Plymouth via Tavistock. It would also be more valuable if it extended from Bodmin to the Atlantic Coast Line, and continued on to Truro via the A30 and A39.

Then this line could hold all direct services between Cornwall and the rest of the country, including Plymouth to Exeter, and free up the existing lines for metro services between Plymouth and Exeter.

I wouldn't sneeze at the potential for freight growth or supporting the building of new housing at stations along the line. The area isn't as built up as south of Dartmoor, which are the perfect conditions for a new railway to promote new growth.

 

[stevieinselby]

One for the crayonistas amongst us! Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire has proposed a new line from Okehampton to Bodmin Parkway via Launceston. Apparently it has a BCR of 2.0!

Kernow Connect


Link to the map.

Kernow Connect Map

It should be illegal to scribble a proposal in crayon on a map that doesn't have contour lines...

Around Bodmin Parkway, the existing mainline is in a steep-sided valley with hills rising over 100m on both sides. The tunnelling, civil engineering and destruction of the landscape you would need to connect Bodmin Parkway, Launceston and Okehampton on a 100mph alignment would make HS2 look like a walk in the park. All to connect one small town to the rail network and provide a faster service to a series of small towns but bypassing the largest-by-far destination in the region.

Absolute muppetry.

 

[Gloster]

The rationale for the proposal is that a number of politicians want to show that they are ‘doing something’ for their area. If they can push it far enough to get some sort of grant, all the better.

 

[Pigeon]

I have this vision of graves in a dark churchyard at midnight bursting open and zombified LSWR directors issuing forth.

 

[martin butler]

How much of the old route from Launceston to Hallwell, then Bideford could be re used? and whats the financial case for doing if imaged as a greater Devon, and Cornwall metro much of the line was single track, so not high speed,

 

[Zomboid]

Whatever is left from 60+ years ago isn't relevant, if a new line is needed then a new alignment is also needed.

Considering the landscape, you'd probably be looking at something heavily tunneled - think Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen style, which should help the BCR.

 

[irish_rail]

The rationale for the proposal is that a number of politicians want to show that they are ‘doing something’ for their area. If they can push it far enough to get some sort of grant, all the better.

If Maguire wants to help his Cornish constituency, then focusing on asking for linespeed improvements between Plymouth and Exeter would be a far better use of his time, and help get his constituents to London quicker. He could also campaign for better seating on the 800 fleet. His pie in the sky proposal would be a disaster for the regions biggest city (Plymouth), and thankfully I don't think anyone whatsoever thinks it has even the smallest chance of happening.

 

[Mr. SW]

I don't know Cornwall, but I suspect the amount of money required to do this would probably cover both existing main line and branch updating and renewal, improved services, probably a couple of reinstatements like Wadebridge (f'rinstance), call it all Kernow Metro or Trepolpen Transit and there'll plenty of wad left over to give everyone west of the Tamar a clotted cream tea every day for a year. And then you can blow the rest on toys.

 

[martin butler]

Clearly its just so much hot air and an MP trying to sound like they want to do something

The time for reopenings, and new routes, has passed, as much as some of us wish some lines had never closed, they did, and communities learnt to get by without having a railway,

My own view is that the closures especially in devon, and Cornwall, were wrong, especially those from Exeter and along the north devon coast, and into Cornwall, DMU pay trains, and unstaffed holts if it cut losses and kept lines open until the 80's might have seen reemergence of popularity for these lines,

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 May 2026 ==

I have this vision of graves in a dark churchyard at midnight bursting open and zombified LSWR directors issuing forth.

And setting off to hunt down their GWR counterparts, to see if there's any brains left to devour,

They would die of starvation, first though,

 

[The Ham]

One of the issues (I know they're are many) where are the trains coming from at the London end?

There's no space at Paddington, there's currently* no space at Waterloo and I'm not sure of the routing from other London stations.

* there's potential from Waterloo in a post Crossrail 2 world, but that would struggle** to be sub 2.5 hours to Okehampton let alone Truro!

** a bit of an understatement, before anyone picks me up on that point

 

[Zomboid]

Okehampton to Waterloo is about 200 miles, so you'd be looking at more than 100mph average speed to get anywhere near 2.5 hours to Truro. Which I believe would be faster than non-stop KX - York trains on the ECML manage.

Not that any more holes need to be picked in the idea.