THE re-introduction of a passenger rail service from Okehampton to Exeter could be drawing closer, following positive results in a new consumer survey.

The idea gets a big thumbs-up from the town, according to the survey.

The questionnaire gauging public demand for a daily train service by residents from the town and surrounding area was drawn up by town councillor Dr Michael Ireland.

A presentation of the results was given by Cllr Ireland at a recent town council meeting, which revealed a demand for a regular, daily service for everyday commuters and shoppers.

Cllr Ireland said: 'The idea of this survey was to get residents' view points, to work out how much they would be willing to pay for a return ticket to Exeter, choice of train station company, etc.

'It is not just for the people of Okehampton, but for the surrounding villages and tourists.

'People want to travel much further, it's not just about going to Exeter, but going beyond Exeter too.

'We were trying to get a general profile of residents who responded to the questionnaire.'

The survey highlighted residents' wishes for a regular passenger service to be re-introduced between Okehampton and Yeoford.

But it showed that most people would not want a service to Yeoford which involved changing trains onto the current First Great Western service from Barnstaple.

Cllr Ireland said: 'What people certainly want to see is a regular passenger service re- introduced to Okehampton, Yeoford and the national network.

'The timetable is very important and a large percentage of people want it linked with a national network. People want a 24/7, weekdays and weekends, all year round service.'

The results of the survey showed that 94% of people wanted a regular timetabled service, connecting with the national rail network and airports, and 92% wanted a service on weekdays and weekends, all year round.

Cllr Ireland said: 'What we found was that it's the workers and shoppers who want the hourly service and the business trips — holiday travel people are happy with a less regular service.

'It took a long time to collect the data but once it came together, it was really interesting to see what's important to people, what they want and how it will work.'

The survey also showed people were prepared to pay more to travel by train, if it offered them the opportunity to work while commuting and provided a greater level of passenger comfort, with environmental benefits.

'We had to take the results of what people would pay and take it against the railway needs. The average return fare from Okehampton to Exeter worked out to be £4.72,' said Cllr Ireland.

The survey also found 63% of residents wanted a new parkway station and freight link in the town.

'87% of residents thought the town would benefit from a freight link to the industrial estate.

'I want people to understand the importance of a freight link and how it will benefit Okehampton and the surrounding areas,' said Cllr Ireland.

'It would be so useful for the town to have this as some kind of distribution hub.'

Graham Isom, general manager from Dartmoor Railway who attended the meeting, said: 'I feel the council are right behind us and hopefully when it all comes into fruition, it will benefit the town and everybody in it.

'What I will say is that once it is running, it will need continual support to carry on — if you don't use it, you lose it.

'I fully support the re introduction of the railway service. I think the average price is spot on, you can't park in Exeter for £4.72.

'The next stage now is to try and get a train operating company and a freight operating company licence.'

Town councillor Tony Leech said: 'This is a fantastic opportunity for Okehampton and it's residents — we've actually got a railway in the town, so lets use it.'

If the licensing goes ahead, Dartmoor Railway hopes to have the new railway service up and running by the end of 2010.

The survey results follow an 'in principle' agreement by Devon County Council to invest £250,000 in a new platform at Yeoford. The funding comes from the sale of Exeter airport — the bid for Yeoford was championed by Okehampton county councillor Christine Marsh.