Mid Cornwall Metro is a £56.8m project that will deliver an hourly coast-to-coast rail service between Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth.
A new passing loop will be built at Tregoss Moor as well as an additional platform at Newquay to enable the improved service.
The project will include station improvements and better walking and cycling access.
Tap in, tap out Pay As You Go ticketing with a GWR smartcard will also be extended to the whole of Cornwall, plus Plymouth and the Tamar Valley Line, as part of the project.
Work will start in 2024 and take two years to complete.
The train service between Newquay and Par will double (from every-two-hours to hourly) starting later in 2025.
Direct trains serving the full Mid Cornwall Metro route between Newquay and Falmouth will start in 2026.
Check this website for the latest updates from the project, including on station improvements, enhanced cycling and walking access and more.
180,000 people live within 4km of a Mid Cornwall Metro station. The project will connect people with employment, education and amenities to support levelling up and a cleaner, greener, fairer and more inclusive Cornwall.
Read more about how the project will enhance the business case for wider economic developments (PDF).
A new rail passing loop at Tregoss Moor will allow trains to pass each other. This will enable local and long-distance services to operate concurrently - meaning local services can run all year round.
The project will deliver improved cycling and walking access to Roche and Bugle stations.
All stations will be equipped for tap in, tap out Pay As You Go travel using a GWR smartcard.
From later in 2025, Par will have hourly trains to/from Newquay.
From 2026 there will be three trains an hour between St Austell and Truro, and an increased frequency between Par, St Austell and Truro.
The Maritime Line (Truro-Falmouth) will retain two trains an hour throughout. From 2026 one of these each hour will be to/from Newquay and St Austell.
Walking and cycling links will be improved between Penryn and Falmouth, including to Penryn station and the University campuses.
There is funding to design a new accessible footbridge with lifts at Par station.
Newquay station will receive a new second platform, improvements to local bus stops, improved station car park and outside landscaping.
Walking and cycling access will be improved to Penryn, Newquay, Roche and Bugle stations.
There is funding to design a new accessible footbridge with lifts at Par station.
There will be tap-in, tap-out facilities to allow Pay As You Go local travel between all Cornish stations and to/from Plymouth with a GWR smartcard. This is an expansion of the recently launched scheme covering West Cornwall stations.
Walking and cycling links will be improved between Penryn and Falmouth, including to Penryn station and the University campuses.
There will also be improved walking and cycling links to Newquay station and in Roche and Bugle.
These improvements will be complemented by the 80 e-bike hire bays and around 200 e-bikes already available in Newquay, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth, including at/near each train station.
Mid Cornwall Metro is being made possible thanks to almost £50 million from the Government.
The project is a partnership between the UK Government, Cornwall Council, Network Rail, Great Western Railway and the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.