THE NUMBER of people travelling on the most popular Community Railways has almost doubled in the past three years, according to ATOC. One important factor is thought to be 'staycations', as more people choose to take their holidays in Britain.

ATOC said almost 40 million journeys are now being made each year on Community Railways, and the 10 busiest lines have recorded total growth from 4.5 million to almost 7 million journeys since 2008.

Some of the biggest winners include the Looe Valley Line in Cornwall, where the number of passengers has risen by 12.4 per cent in the last year alone. In the same county, major rises have also been recorded between Truro and Falmouth, where a passing loop has been reinstated at Penryn so that the service could be doubled to half-hourly.

Other Cornish branches to St Ives and Newquay are also getting busier, the Newquay branch having been boosted by an increase in its off-peak Community Rail local service from four to seven trains a day.

Derby to Matlock, in the East Midlands, has seen growth of 86 per cent in the past three years, carrying almost 400,000 passengers in 2010, and there have also been sharp rises on many other local lines.