Bideford railway project faces fresh questions as councillors recommend alternative transport improvements
Plans to restore the railway between Barnstaple and Bideford have come under renewed scrutiny after Torridge District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommended the authority focus on cheaper and more immediate transport improvements instead.
The committee agreed to recommend that the council concentrates on measures including a fast coach service linking Bideford with Tiverton Parkway railway station, improving active travel routes and strengthening public transport links across Torridge rather than prioritising efforts to reinstate the railway.
The recommendation follows consideration of a report examining proposals to bring trains back to Bideford for the first time since the line closed.
Presenting the report, Cllr Huw Thomas said there were clear benefits to improved public transport but also significant concerns over the practicality and impact of restoring the railway.
He said: “We do have a problem with connectivity here. Not everyone’s got a car and there are too many cars on the road, so in many ways it would be good to have improved public transport.
“But I think there’s also a number of major concerns about how the railway extension proposal would happen and the impact it would have on the whole corridor from Barnstaple to Bideford.”
The report highlighted estimated project costs ranging between £305 million and £539 million, with a mid-range estimate of £422 million. It also pointed to engineering challenges, flood risk issues, impacts on the Tarka Trail and questions over access and parking at a reinstated Bideford station.
Cllr Jane Whittaker said she believed the obstacles facing the project outweighed the potential benefits.
She said: “The issues really worry me. I just cannot see a logical way of practically delivering this no matter how long you wait.
“I think the challenges and the issues will always outweigh the wishes and wants of the local community.”
However, several councillors argued the authority should continue supporting the proposal while further work is carried out.
Cllr Nigel Kenneally said: “I like the idea of dreaming big.
“I get the logistics, I get the money, but sometimes we just have to dream big. Dreams become reality eventually.”
He argued that the railway would benefit communities across Torridge rather than Bideford alone.
Cllr Wendy Lo-Vel also questioned why the council should withdraw support at this stage.
She said: “It’s not going to cost Torridge anything to give support and let them take this investigation further.
“We are so poorly serviced in this area.”
But Cllr Claire Hodson said backing the scheme would still help supporters secure funding from elsewhere and therefore amounted to more than a symbolic gesture.
She could not support the scheme, arguing that major rail projects such as HS2 had demonstrated the challenges and costs involved in delivering large-scale infrastructure. She said the Bideford proposal would effectively require a railway to be rebuilt from scratch while overcoming flood risks and impacts on existing communities.
She said: “By giving them our support, it’s a tick in the box. Local authority not funding, but supportive of the idea.
“I cannot endorse something that I think is going to be so costly and so difficult to achieve.”
The debate also touched on wider issues of transport, education and economic development in northern Devon.
Cllr Doug Smith argued that better rail connections could help tackle long-standing transport challenges and support future growth.
He pointed to the reopening of the railway to Okehampton as an example of how rail projects can evolve beyond initial expectations.
He said: “I think we need to look at it really, really seriously and not just be dismissive.”
Responding, Cllr Hodson argued that investment should instead focus on improving local services.
She said: “Why are our young people having to travel? We need to be fighting for better education facilities in northern Devon.”
Cllr Thomas said the proposed railway remained at least 13 years away even under optimistic timescales and warned it would not solve immediate transport problems facing residents.
He also raised concerns about the impact on the Tarka Trail and practical issues surrounding a station in Bideford.
He said: “If it was to happen, I think you need a new station outside the town. I do not think you can have Bideford railway station.”
The committee ultimately agreed recommendations calling on the council to focus on improving coach services, active travel links and public transport connections, while prioritising investment in facilities and services within Torridge and the wider North Devon area rather than facilitating faster journeys out of the district.
