IT IS sad to see that the idea of re-opening the Tavistock to Crediton section of railway is being bogged down by the notion that it must be a main line — the cost of which is prohibitive. Network Rail's own report for ministers said that it was very poor value for money. Yet we have the technology to bring the cost down to between a quarter and a third of this. Namely Hybrid Light Rail. Proven on the Stourbridge branch in the West Midlands over the last five years. Currently the most reliable per passenger mile on the network the Class 139 — People Mover is a rail car that can carry up to 60 people (30 seated) which by using an Energy Harvesting Flywheel can operate on a 2.3 litre car engine running on LPG ,reducing running costs to around a seventh of traditional rail. It could also theoretically be run on intermittent electrical pick up making it totally emission free, its original design concept being in this format. Therefore we at The Railway Reinstatement Association believe that with half hourly trains this would be adequate for day to day use for the population levels in the area, assuming the usual take up levels of between 1 and 5% of the population of conurbations with stations. We also believe, in view of our own outline feasibility studies, that as two stations on this line are currently up for sale this would be a perfect time to form a not for profit Community Benefit Company to raise the capital to purchase these and start to build this railway for ourselves. Enabling it to be, in part, self financed by running it as it is built much as Heritage railways do. One of these stations very much lends itself to also be a museum; we believe it to be the only place remaining where GWR & London South Western railways run alongside each other in competition. Reading Southern Region Terminus now being the Plaza and Lydford totally erased being the only others known to us. The fact that these trains are around eleven tonnes they can, we believe, run on rail half the size and cost, as as used by the Tanfield Steam Railway in Gateshead Tyne & Wear. But if Network Rail want the use of this line in emergencies with their heavier rail, then they could help with track costs for the heavier rails to be put in, allowing standard trains to run in emergencies.  But even if not, the designer of the People Mover, John Parry MBE, is currently working on a bogie version running on a 3.5 litre diesel engine that would carry 120 people, around 80 seated, that would cater for higher levels of passenger interest such as tourism and the plain curious train enthusiast. Coming in at 20 tonnes target weight it would still run on light rail, and would presumably be ready long before the line could be opened in full. This technology is widely being taken up in the US and Canada for urban railway rebuilds. Are we British going to be left behind again with our traditional conservatism continually harping on to our past instead of looking to the future? We have similar notions for other former railways in Devon as well. Jane Taylor Railway Reinstatement Association  Paignton WITH reference to the letter from Robin Musgrave (July 17) regarding having a realistic approach to transport links, Mr Musgrove suggests that there is a need for a two hour forty minute service from London to Plymouth. While this may be desirable it is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future even if the line is electrified as far as Exeter. The report by Network Rail stated that even boring tunnels at a cost of over two billion to bypass Dawlish would only reduce the time by around six minutes from Exeter to Plymouth, still making the total journey far more than the required two hours forty minutes. In my humble (and non-expert) opinion this sort of time would only be possible if the tunnels were bored and the whole line electrified from where the existing overhead cables end. However, this would mean totally updating the track and signalling as well as installing the overhead wires, all at an astronomical cost. It might be quite possible that the cost of reinstating and electrifying the Okehampton route from Exeter would actually be cheaper. As regards to the other letter from a gentleman in Bridestowe complaining that the beauty of Northern Dartmoor would be ruined, this is a very short sighted outlook. There are already summer Sunday trains from Okehampton to Exeter (at a bargain price of £5 return) bringing people to the area and the reinstatement of the whole line from Bere Alston would benefit the growing population of both Tavistock and Okehampton by giving them a service to Exeter and beyond without having to drive to Plymouth. An added bonus would be extra trains from Plymouth and the guarantee of a service if the western main line was out of action and if one ignores the Teign valley line option which was dismissed as slow and impracticable; it was also the cheapest of all the options put forward. We have waited many years to get our line back, let us make sure our voice is heard. Paul Mercer Peter Tavy