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SPECIAL REPORT tamar valley railway line P ail Partnershi ail r Calstock Viaduct, built between on & Cornwall on & Cornwall 1904 and 1907 V De Valuing the Tamar Valley Line Ground-breaking new study quantifies the value of railway to communities in Cornwall and Devon Valuations of sections of commissioned by the Devon & Cornwall as subsidies for such services are being our railway network have Rail Partnership (DCRP) and was researched increasingly reduced due to local authority been in the background of and written by TAS. At the outset, DCRP austerity measures. TAS believes that this many recent high-profile commented that: “The line provides an was the first time a rural branch line has been initiatives. Crossrail, important transport link to the communities subject to such a valuation study. John Atkins Northern Powerhouse of Bere Ferrers, Bere Alston, Calstock and The Tamar Valley Line is one of eight branch TAS Partnership Rail and various network Gunnislake as the road options to Plymouth railway lines in Devon and Cornwall promoted electrification upgrades have all been are very poor.” In the event, the report by DCRP. The rail network becomes underpinned by a cost-benefit case that is used provides evidence that the rail line provides increasingly threadbare in the West Country, to justify or appraise the investment required. much, much more besides. so the rail partnership’s role is essentially to It does so by weighing the outlay cost against Impact evaluation has been a significant promote the lines and increase patronage, anticipated increases in fare revenues and part of recent work by TAS, with both the through engagement with the community, a range of additional accruing benefits that commercial bus and community transport stimulation of economic regeneration, new can be monetised to allow a mathematical sector. Operators increasingly need to justify marketing initiatives, and assistance with cost-benefit ratio to be reached. This is a tried and lobby for funding support for their service improvements. and trusted, though by no means fool-proof work against a more robust evidence base of The valuation study was the initiative of approach. In this climate of public scrutiny and outcomes. The role of passenger transport Calstock and Gunnislake’s Cornwall councillor headlines about the value of large-scale public in rural areas is also under greater scrutiny Dorothy Kirk, whose primary objective was spending on major rail projects, we should for the study to evaluate and to emphasise the remember that the value of long-standing rural economic importance of the Tamar Valley Line branch lines can easily be overlooked. “There is strong use by to the communities on the Cornish end of the In July 2018, a study by the TAS Partnership commuters and school line. Additional funding from the Designated was published - presenting a valuation of the Community Rail Development Fund, backed Tamar Valley Railway Line. The line connects children, shoppers and by the Department for Transport and, the the villages of Gunnislake and Calstock in Association of Community Rail Partnerships Cornwall with Plymouth, taking in Devon’s other leisure travellers” (ACoRP), enabled the study to be extended to Bere Peninsula. The valuation report was DCRP cover the Devon part of the line as well. 26 | 17 August 2018 www.passengertransport.co.uk PT_Issue191_p26-27.indd 26 15/08/2018 15:48 “Our little railway is of vital importance to our communities”Cllr Dorothy Kirk “Even though the communities served are station-to-station stops -require more detailed Another aspect that emerged from the TAS small, with a combined population of around investigation regarding travel habits, hence an report is the fact that the line benefits many 10,000, over 190,000 journeys are made on emphasis in the study on passenger surveys people who don’t use the railway themselves. the line each year,” said the DCRP. “There is as the primary data source. Luckily TAS For instance, residents living in the Plymouth strong use by commuters and school children, has great expertise in capturing the views of Air Quality Management Area near the A386 alongside shoppers and other leisure travellers. service users and the data collected (with the Northern Corridor route suffer from levels of The connection at Plymouth also allows for invaluable help of two committed DCRP vehicle congestion, which without the railway longer distance journeys on the mainline to volunteers) formed the primary evidence base. would be significantly worse. London, locally within Devon and Cornwall Local stakeholders, many with only limited Amid the celebration of the diverse benefits and to other regions of the country”. direct connection with the rail service, were generated and enhanced by the rail line, a The TAS evaluation study aimed to take a also happy to share their thoughts on the value worst case scenario was also probed -the holistic view of the impact of the Tamar Valley of the service. Some feedback came from Tamar Valley with no rail service. TAS was able Line, identifying the connection between the unexpected quarters, such as the Calstock to calculate with some precision that even service that is provided and the wider benefits Refugee Outreach Group. Rosie Brennan told with a replacement bus service, the railway that accrue. This underlines the fact that the TAS: “In our Outreach Group, the railway is a ceasing operation would result in 78,000 190,000 annual journeys made on the rail vital link which connects the rural community additional car journeys, involving 1.2 million service are not an end in themselves but enable of Calstock with the refugees and asylum car miles per year. The cost of this impact is and enhance a diverse range of activities that seekers in Plymouth who are often isolated and estimated to be £285,000 per year, with severe would otherwise not take place, or would orientating themselves to a new city or region.” consequences for journey times, travel costs, take place less effectively, or at greater cost: South West Local Enterprise Partnership environmental damage caused by the increase to individuals, to the communities served, to made it very clear how the Tamar Valley Line in car and bus traffic, especially in the Air government, and to the environment. So, the is beneficial: “Rail transport assists with both Quality Management Areas, and an associated benefits multiply with a ripple effect. strategic connectivity and for local transport increase in road traffic accidents. Tourism and There was no ‘before-and-after’ comparison movements -particularly access to urban local business would suffer, and the longer- to be made. As the Tamar Valley Line is such a areas and also very rural areas. The impact is term demographic make-up of the Tamar long-established service, no data or experience two-way -both economically and in terms of Valley would change with likely population from before its construction over 100 years providing links to the Tamar Valley AONB.” reduction, as low-paid workforce and younger ago can be used with any validity for the sake of More expected was the value of the rail people move away. comparison. Therefore, the valuation process service to the world of business and commerce. The valuation work has been hugely beneficial required an assessment, or visioning, of what 25% of rail journeys in the Tamar Valley were for to DCRP. “The whole economic future of the would happen if the railway were not there the purpose of reaching a place of employment, area depends on access to the rest of the world or what the likely alternative scenarios would and this generates total Gross Domestic - which is what the railway provides and there be if passengers had to make other travel Product value for all rail using employees of is no direct road to Plymouth so the railway arrangements. This links with the wider issue £2.6m per year. Retail expenditure by rail is a lifeline,” commented councillor Dorothy of what impact the loss of the railway would users was estimated to be £2.9m, and leisure Kirk. “Our little railway, which must be one of have on the economy and the environment, as expenditure an additional £2.6m per year. the most beautiful to be found anywhere, is of the modal alternatives are more expensive to “The line is a very important part of the vital importance to our communities, linking the user and more damaging to the habitat. infrastructure in terms of leisure and tourism us to the rest of the world and providing access The aim of DCRP was to obtain a valuation and runs up a highly attractive area,” said to employment, education, shopping and of the service by its user communities, George Cowcher of Devon Chamber of entertainment. This study has gone into great incorporating the relative values that are Commerce. “Much like the Tarka line, branch depth proving just how key the line is to the placed on the service by local stakeholders. lines in the area are attractive in themselves. It people of the valley and the economy and thus The study presents a snapshot rather than also enables access to National Trust properties helping make the case for its improvement a data set that was designed to justify a and other attractions to people travelling from and development.” specific investment return. The valuation the south west to the UK and beyond.” does, however, form a primary evidence base Across a range of social, economic and of why the service is worthy of continued environmental benefits, TAS was able to AbOuT ThE AuThOR development and growth. (One background identify a minimum of £13m overall value John Atkins is Principal Consultant at initiative is a long-standing plan to reconnect per year that the Tamar Valley Line yields, passenger transport consultancy, the TAS the line to serve Tavistock -though it was not averaging £69 per single rail trip.

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