CONCERNS have been raised that the much-mooted £56.8m Mid Cornwall Metro rail project won’t stop regularly at some of the stations on the route. Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for transport has admitted it is “not ideal”.

The government-funded scheme was set up to transform local journeys – connecting people with work, study and leisure – and to support a “cleaner, greener, fairer and more inclusive Cornwall”. However, it has been revealed that stations in one of the most deprived areas of the Duchy won’t have a regular service.

Mid Cornwall Metro has promised to deliver an hourly coast-to-coast rail service between Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth. The train service between Newquay and Par will double – from every-two-hours to hourly – starting in 2026.

Direct trains serving the full Mid Cornwall Metro route between Newquay and Falmouth will start after the first phase between Newquay and Par has been embedded. A new passing loop will be built at Tregoss Moor as well as an additional platform at Newquay to enable the improved service. The project will include station improvements and better walking and cycling access.

At a meeting of Cornwall Council’s sustainable growth scrutiny committee on Tuesday, October 7, Kevin Towill – Reform UK councillor for Newquay Porth and Tretherras – said: “It was always envisaged from the beginning of the Mid Cornwall Metro project that the train would stop at the villages – including Roche and Bugle – but I’ve heard a rumour this might not be happening now and the train will be running right through without stopping.” He asked Cllr Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for transport, to clarify.

Cllr Rogerson said: “It is correct that the hourly service to Newquay will not stop at every station. I think it’s more like a two-hourly service to those stations, which is not ideal. We want to encourage people to be able to get to a frequency of travel like perhaps there is on the Truro to Falmouth route which is half-hourly where people don’t have to plan ahead quite so much and can hop on.

“There are real opportunities to do better in the future but for now, unfortunately, it will be an hourly service to Newquay and slightly less frequently to some of those clay country stations, which is not what I want to see, but that’s where we’re starting.”

A recent report by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University found that poor transport links are hitting rural areas of Cornwall, particularly in the clay country area.

Cllr Rogerson added at the meeting: “However, I think the important thing is to see the improvements – we’ve had the platform (at Newquay), we’re looking at the routes into the station in Newquay and other improvements that will happen around stations on the route. What we want to see is increased usage so we can make the case to first of all Great Western, but as the council will be aware that’s coming into a nationalised set-up.

“We need to demonstrate that the desire to use it is there and then we can make the case for increasing the frequency of those trains. I think the important thing is to get it in operation and then push to improve matters. Things like ‘tap on and tap off’, which will make it easier for people to use, will hopefully encourage people to do it and we can really show it’s sustainable in terms of the usage we’re getting.”

Cllr Towill responded he was reassured that the train services would not be stopped at the village stations altogether, but he said there was room for improvement.