Mr. Graham Lightfoot:

This is also a rural development issue in terms of enabling the towns along the line and the wider catchment area of towns near the line to increase the possibilities for increased services, increases in passenger numbers and so on. That is why we have worked with the local authorities in areas the line goes through or near. We have also worked with public representations like the committee members. It is quite important to make that link between the operation of a train service and the development of the rural areas through which that train service passes.