Council wants more say over Cornish railways

Cornwall trains all set for change from Catherine Feltham on Vimeo.

Cornwall Council wants a bigger say in running the local train services so travelling in the county becomes faster, cheaper and more frequent.

The number of people using the railways in Cornwall has doubled in the last ten years - twice the national increase.

Cornwall is keen to take up the Government's offer to transfer more authority over train services to local councils.

The 15-year tender for the Great Western franchise comes up for grabs next year and the shortlisted private companies are preparing tenders. The deadline is in May and the winner will be announced in December.

Increasing

Cornwall councillors are putting forward a number of objectives to improve train services throughout the county.

These include reducing journey times on the main line to major cities, particularly London, and increasing the number of services entering Cornwall from London and Bristol in the evening.

They also want to maintain the increasing number of trains operating on the county's five branch lines.

First Great Western trains began operating in Cornwall in 2006, but in May last year the First Group announced it did not want to continue the service beyond 2013.