Poll – what do you think of reopening the railway from Bideford to Barnstaple?

The bid to reopen the railway line between Bideford and Barnstaple has become a huge talking point in North Devon and Torridge, so today the North Devon Gazette has launched a poll to try and get a snapshot of what the community thinks.

If the line were reinstated, it would be the biggest civil engineering project in the region since the construction of the North Devon Link Road, which opened in 1988.

If you can, please do take a minute to complete our simple poll – your answers will remain anonymous, though if you wish you are also welcome to email us further comments to our newsdesk address below.

Those in favour of the scheme say it will bring great economic benefits to the region, providing a vital link to Barnstaple while avoiding traffic congestion and enabling passengers to travel on to Exeter and beyond by train.

There would also be environmental benefits in terms of reducing traffic on the roads.

Students, business people, day trippers and holidaymakers all use the Tarka Line between Barnstaple and Exeter now, many as a daily commute, so an additional link to Exeter from Bideford could be of great benefit to many people.

The new Okehampton to Exeter line is now being well-used and those behind the Bideford project believe it would be just as popular if not more so.

Opponents to the plans question where the quoted £400 to £500million will come from to fund the scheme.

They also have concerns about its impact on te Tarka Trail, which mostly runs on the former railway trackbed between Bideford and Barnstaple.

Those championing the scheme have gone on record to say the Tarka Trail would be staying put, but they envisage the railway would run alongside it in most cases.

It has been admitted there are some engineering challenges and in some locations it might be necessary to carry out some rerouting work in places where there is no other solution.

Comments on social media have been very vocal both in favour for and against the scheme, but social media discussions can easily be skewed one way or another – we want to hear from as many people as possible to try and get a true picture of local feeling about the proposals.

Please do take the time to complete our survey and let us know what you think!

If you wish, please do send any further comments to us by emailing newsdesk@northdevongazette.co.uk Please put ‘Bideford railway’ as the subject line.

If possible, we would prefer state your name and location when publishing any comments, but please indicate if you wish them to remain anonymous.

The poll will remain open until 8pm on Monday, April 13.