THE FALMOUTH-TO-TRURO rail route has seen the second largest growth in passengers of any branch line in the UK in the past year, far exceeding all expectations.

There were nearly 113,500 more journeys made between April 2009 and 2010 compared to the previous year.

The increase comes after a multimillion-pound project to dual the railway along the route, which opened in May last year.

With a 37.8 per cent increase, it is second only to the Par-to-Newquay line, which increased by 54.8 per cent.

However in two years the number of journeys in and out of Falmouth has increased by 56.1 per cent.

The increase is being put down to several factors: a half-hour service being one, but also the growth of University College Falmouth and the Combined Universities in Cornwall main campus at Tremough, in Penryn.

It is also the draw of the seaside which is seen as important factor.

Falmouth town manager Richard Gates said: "It is fantastic that we have that volume of people using the service. It shows that Falmouth has a lot to offer."

A spokesman for First Great Western, which operates the line, said: "This growth could be down to the current staycation trend, which is seeing more people grabbing their buckets and spades and opting to holiday at home, as a direct result of the economic crisis.

"We hope to see even more people choosing to travel by train over the coming year."

The improved Maritime Line was unveiled last May after ten years of campaigning, doubling the number of trains.

Richard Burningham, manager of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: "It is fabulous and a testament to the great support the partners put in to getting the passing loop, not least Cornwall Council.

"They led the scheme and it has taken ten years with the commitment of officers and members.

"The improvements are just fabulous, but the figures have outstripped all our forecasts."

Between April 2007 and 2008 there were 264,879 journeys on the line, a return is classed as two journeys.

In 2008-09 there were 300,085 and 2009-2010 there were 413,544 journeys.