A REPORT calling for a new railway line to be built in the New Forest National Park has been dismissed as “pie in the sky”.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CFBT) says the old Brockenhurst to Ringwood line - which closed in the 1960s - should be re-opened.

But the suggestion has been greeted with incredulity by leading public figures and organisations in the district.

The rails were removed decades ago and the former Ringwood station was later demolished to make way for an industrial estate. Any attempt to build a new line in the heart of the national park is likely to be opposed on environmental grounds.

New Forest West MP Sir Desmond Swayne, whose constituency includes Ringwood, said: “Lovely idea but pie in the sky.

“Who is going to pay for it - and is there really an economically sustainable demand for such a service?”

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The Commoners’ Defence Association, which represents the owners of the Forest’s free-roaming animals, added: “There’s no chance of it happening on protected land - it’s unimaginable.”

Cllr Barry Rickman, leader of New Forest District Council, said: “It’s an imaginative idea but there are so many hurdles that would have to be overcome before it became a reality.

“I don’t think it’s all that likely to happen.”

Any application to build a new line would need the support of the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA).

Steve Avery, the NPA’s executive director of strategy and planning, said: “In the intervening 50 years much of the route has been returned to the landscape and become a haven for wildlife, with other sections being incorporated into walking and cycle paths and the wider road network.”

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The report, The Case for Expanding the National Rail Network, also calls for passenger services to be reintroduced on the Totton to Fawley line, which still exists.

The line closed to passengers in the 1960s and and became a freight-only route serving Fawley refinery and Marchwood Military Port.

Cllr David Harrison, who represents Totton and Marchwood, said: “I’m delighted the CFBT has recognised the potential the Waterside line has for running passenger services. An organisation like this has the ear of government, so makes investment more likely.”

The report says reopening railways has the potential to transform communities by relieving road congestion, cutting pollution and reducing carbon emissions.