By Graham Smith

County Hall officials are celebrating this morning (Thursday) after the government approved their bid for a Mid Cornwall Metro rail link as part of its Levelling Up expenditure.

The award of £50 million is to “create a direct train service linking Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth alongside better walking and cycling access to stations.”  The council had asked for a total of £56.8 million.

The announcement of Levelling Up awards has been delayed several times and seen three Prime Ministers.  The criteria also appears to have changed, because the initial prospectus demanded applicants to demonstrate “wide community support.”  The Mid Cornwall Metro project has so far been notable for its secrecy.

The success of the Cornwall Council bid is interesting for many reasons, not least because it suggests that Whitehall has now forgiven officials in Truro for their £19 million Saints Trail cycle path fiasco.

County Hall has previously refused to reveal any detail of its plan for the rail link, claiming it is “commercially confidential.”  This suggests that a full business case probably does not yet exist.  Certainly none has been shared with councillors.

But the creation of a “direct” rail link will require significant upgrades to junctions at Par and Truro if passengers are not to face the inconvenience of changing trains.  If a full business case again requires Compulsory Purchase Orders to secure land, County Hall risks similar time-consuming difficulties to those which led to much of the Saints Trail being abandoned.

Another potential snag is whether the £50 million offer of cash is “time-limited” and must be spent within a certain financial year.  Any Mid Cornwall Metro is very far from being “shovel-ready.”

Councillors have had no chance to consider the merits of the scheme, with some pointing out that the journey between Newquay and Falmouth is already well served by buses.  The rationale for the Mid Cornwall Metro again appears to be tourism, particularly stimulation of Falmouth’s cruise liner sector.

Network Rail has already offered some thoughts about signalling and points, but the next stage will probably involve the commissioning of consultants to design and cost the project.  A similar approach to the Camelford by-pass saw £6.5 million spent on a business case while costs on the actual road doubled.  The government has now poured cold water on the by-pass idea, saying it is poor value for money.

Of particular interest will be the extent to which, if at all, the council has learned any lessons from the Saints Trail.  This saw officials effectively pay their salaries from a large capital fund provided by the government, and an assumption that this was “free money” which did not need to be properly scrutinised.

“We might as well start an audit committee inquiry now,” said one councillor.  “We’ve been promised all sorts of things to ensure that more money won’t be wasted.  Let’s see how much information we get about this railway project.”

The allocation of Levelling Up funds is extremely controversial, with Opposition politicians accusing the government of “pork barrel” expenditure to shore up political support in marginal constituencies.

Cabinet ministers are today touring several “Red Wall” constituencies in the north of England to help them celebrate their “wins” in this spending round.

Today’s news has been welcomed by St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double, whose constituency stands to gain the most.  People in North Cornwall or South East Cornwall, and in St Ives, however, might wonder what there is to celebrate.

The Truro and Falmouth constituency had to withdraw a County Hall bid for a Truro stadium, but MP Cherilyn Mackrory nevertheless also welcomed today’s announcement.

“It’s great news to today have confirmation of our successful bid to the Levelling Up Fund for the Mid-Cornwall Metro,” said Mr Double.

“We have been working together on this along with Cornwall Council for a number of years and we’d like to thank the council’s team and in particular cabinet member for the economy Cllr Louis Gardner for their efforts in putting together such a strong bid.

“The Mid-Cornwall Metro project will allow residents of Newquay and the communities along the lines to not only have a direct route to Falmouth but also to the main line and beyond, and also provide economic benefit in allowing quicker, easier access for commuters and visitors coming into the area.

“Politics is a team game and this is an excellent example of Team Cornwall working together at every level to deliver another piece of critical transport infrastructure for our Duchy.”

Mrs Mackrory said: “The Mid-Cornwall Metro is one of the key projects I have worked on since my election in 2019 and I am delighted to see it gathering steam as the government has today confirmed our successful Levelling Up Fund bid.

“It will give residents of Falmouth and Penryn smoother access to work and leisure opportunities on the north coast, as well as provide a direct route for people wishing to visit and work in our fabulous towns and university campuses.

“Thanks to Cornwall Council for working with us to deliver for Cornwall and we now look forward to going full steam ahead for this dynamic new rail route.”

grahamsmith@cornwallreports.co.uk