A railway line that recently reopened in Wales has seen twice as many passengers using the trains as predicted. At the same time, a competition for Government funding has started in every region of England between damaging road schemes and public transport alternatives. There's never been a better time for local campaigners to fight for new railway lines.

The Cardiff-Ebbw Valley railway line already has more passengers than the target agreed for 2012. This is just one example of a line which shows that demand for rail is often hugely underestimated.

Meanwhile, the Government has just put out guidance about the pot of money it provides for regional transport projects - and regional decision makers are being allowed to ask for funding for rail schemes.

But the people making these decisions often want money to be spent on roads rather than new railway lines. Local campaigners will need to make the case for the lines that should be reopened. The success of the Ebbw Valley line should help them do that.

We'll also be helping local campaigners to make sure the best public transport schemes go ahead, instead of the worst road schemes.