While many will dismiss the idea of a rail station in Brixington as a flight of fancy, your reporter s review of East Devon District Council s report on the shaping of the area s housing and employment for the next quarter century (Journal, March 4) at least shows the beginnings of 'joined-up thinking' regarding transport developments.

While many will dismiss the idea of a rail station in Brixington as a flight of fancy, your reporter's review of East Devon District Council's report on the shaping of the area's housing and employment for the next quarter century (Journal, March 4) at least shows the beginnings of 'joined-up thinking' regarding transport developments.

However, he reports that traffic levels on Dinan Way have remained constant since 2003, - but omits to mention that pasenger numbers on the Exmouth-Exeter railway have risen by over 50 per cent in the same period to a figure of 1.4 million a year - half as many again as those using Exeter Airport.

This alone is good evidence for a need to invest in rail rather than road, as improvement of the A376 recedes into the distant future and the figure of �100 million is quoted for the completion of Dinan Way. For that price, it would be possible to upgrade the railway, which is now running at near capacity, to a provide a service every 15 minutes to central Exeter in less time than it takes to drive.

Such investment is hard to come by, however, and, according to latest government thinking, will only be achieved by local pressure and possibly contribution as well.

Will East Devon District Council, Devon County Council and the City of Exeter (where further development is already in hand actually beside the railway) have the courage and foresight to see that rail �- the 'green' option - should be the solution to an ever-growing traffic problem, and give it positive backing? (On an allied point, can they persuade the bus company to turn its depot back into a proper transport interchange, by rerouting its services back into it in the wake of The Strand improvements?)

Richard Giles,

Kilntop, Lympstone.