Some kind of alternative to the Dawlish route would be good, which is a good merit for the Tavistock route. I wonder if that line re-opens maybe GWR can run local stopping services and SWR can run faster services so that they can get Plymouth back on their network.
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After the success of the Okehampton reopening, it begs the question, why should that be the limit? The Okehampton project proved how popular reopenings could be, and Bude seems like a really good one to me. I’ve been there, it’s a big enough town, possibly a bit of tourism traffic, only issue I can see is the poor siting of the former station.
The answer is pretty straightforward – the track to Okehampton, and the station there, were already in situ and in use, so relatively little work was needed on the infrastructure to enable an hourly DMU service. That's a completely different proposition from building nearly 30 miles of brand new railway, with various associated civils needed to ensure embankments, cuttings and viaducts are up to modern standards, plus where the original route has been built on at Bude, Holsworthy and Halwill Junction. The fact that there is a mostly intact trackbed goes only a very small way towards (re)opening the line, it's essentially a new build from scratch but with the land acquisition slightly simplified.
The other issue is that the "bread and butter" traffic (commuters and students) is unlikely to be there in quantity - Okehampton by contrast is Exeter commuter territory.
Indeed, the other Advantage to reopening to Bideford would be to take some of the pressure off Okehampton as the railhead for North Devon & North Cornwall. Then it’s just a short trip up the A39 from Bude to Bideford then.
Is there any evidence of such pressure causing actual problems? The occasional very well loaded train would be no different to the normality of rail traffic across the country. Or does Okehampton simply need more parking for railheaders?
Much, much cheaper to first try adding bus priority measures at key locations and encourage a suitable operator to provide an improved quality limited stop bus service. If that thrives you can then consider spending a large fortune on a new railway line.
