A CORNISH rail group is calling for the reinstatement of platform one at Newquay station.

Friends of the Atlantic Coastline (FoCAL), which was set up to improve the Newquay to Par branch line, has achieved a 75% increase in the frequency of local services on the line, from four to seven services a day since December 15, 2008.

Now it is urging the Government to reinstate the platform to satisfy the demand shown by passengers for a better and quicker service.

Last year was a record-breaking year for the line.

In just nine months 63,120 one-way tickets were sold, a significant increase on the 60,832 sold in the whole of 2004, the previous record year.

FoCAL's chairman Roger Webster said: "The complete figures for 2009 are still not ready but the total now is 68,464 for 2009 with another few weeks' travel yet to be added.

"We all think this shows that the line is being well used and surely calls for improvements to be made to it to continue the trend and encourage more people to use the line.

"Platform one should be reinstated at Newquay station as well to encourage higher speed trains to stop there as well.

"We're not asking for huge, costly improvements but the figures for 2009 should total 70,000, which shows that the line is being used and improvements need to made at Newquay station."

Stephen Gilbert, prospective Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Newquay and St Austell, wants Network Rail to use "common sense" in tackling obstacles to further development of the line, to ensure that local services don't lose out when intercity services resume in the summer months.

He said: "The Newquay to Par branch line is the only branch line in Cornwall that operates both local services and also intercity high-speed trains in the summer.

"At the moment, when the intercity services start in the summer season, we lose some of the local services. There are several ways that this problem could be addressed but the proposed plan for the branch line doesn't properly consider all the alternatives. I've written to Network Rail asking them to look again at the options."