FEARS have been raised parts of the £58.8-million Mid Cornwall Metro Scheme have been scrapped.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced Labour is cancelling the ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund’, which was funding features of the project such as the Par footbridge.

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for the economy, stated the Mid Cornwall Metro has not been scrapped “as far as we are aware” as the money for the scheme came from the Levelling Up Fund. He stated Cornwall Council will know in the next 24 hours the full extent of what the future holds for the Mid Cornwall Metro project, which would create a coast to coast through-service connecting St Austell and Par to Newquay, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth.

The fears for the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme follows Ms Reeves scrapping several schemes the previous Conservative government put forward including the Restoring Your Railway Fund, which is a project designed to reopen previously closed rail lines.

Ms Reeves announced the series of decisions designed to reduce spending after requesting Treasury officials conduct a public spending audit. She subsequently described the economic legacy she had been left by the Conservative government as "unforgivable."

Findings from the Treasury audit exposed billions of pounds of unfunded commitments from the previous Government, including the Rwanda scheme, the Advanced British Standard and the New Hospital Programme. 

Cllr Gardner, commenting on the future of the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme, said: “It’s not been scrapped as far as we are aware.

“It’s a Levelling Up project, rather than a Remembering Our Railways project’ but some features such as Par footbridge came from that project so we are just awaiting confirmation of everything, which should come out in next 24 hours.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council added: “We have contacted the UK Government Department for Transport for advice on the Mid Cornwall Metro project with regard to the Chancellor’s Spending Inheritance Statement, and we are awaiting a reply.”

The Mid Cornwall Metro scheme aims to transform how people travel across Cornwall.

The project would create more frequent trains along the route between Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn to help open up opportunities for education, training and employment.

Works to be carried out would include a new platform at Newquay Station; a new passing loop at Tregoss Moor; upgraded level crossings; new signalling at Goonbarrow; a new accessible lift bridge at Par Station; extended platforms at Falmouth stations; infrastructure at Newquay, Roche, Bugle, Penryn and Falmouth stations; digitalisation of rail ticketing.

Currently rail passengers from Falmouth have to change at both Truro and Par in order to get to Newquay.