A £7.8m investment package has been announced to upgrade a Cornish branch line.

The Falmouth to Truro branch line will benefit from money from the Convergence Programme, the European fund which has replaced Objective One.

The cash will be spent double-tracking the 11-mile single line section between Truro, Penryn and Falmouth.

It will mean the line will get 29 trains a day, up from the current number of just 12.

The scheme also forms part of the Truro Transport Strategy and will be integrated with the new bus based park and ride service which will open this summer on the A390 at Langarth Park, Threemilestone.

Rail passengers will be able to purchase a joint rail and bus ticket which will allow them to catch a bus at Truro Station to take them onto their final destination.

Detailed design work on the track has already begun and work is expected to begin on site by the last quarter of this year with a new timetable commencing May 2009.

Matt McTaggart, Cornwall County Council: "This is a great scheme that by increasing the capacity for rail passengers will remove car users from the congested road between Truro and Falmouth and reducing environmental pollution."

In 2007, around 260,000 passengers used the line and it is hoped that this figure will double.

The news was welcomed by Cornwall County Council's executive member for strategic planning and transport, Matt McTaggart.

He said: "This is a great scheme that by increasing the capacity for rail passengers will remove car users from the congested road between Truro and Falmouth and reducing environmental pollution."

The project, one of a number across Cornwall to be delivered throughout the lifetime of the Convergence Programme, is a partnership between Cornwall County Council, Network Rail and First Great Western.

According to a press release issued by Cornwall County Council, £4.67m of the money is coming from Cornwall's new European Convergence fund.

The county council will contribute £2.5m and Network Rail will provide £600,000 to the scheme.

Julian Crow, from First Great Western, said: "Cornwall's branch lines are carrying more passengers than ever and we are really pleased to be working with Cornwall County Council to make the Truro - Falmouth line so much more useful to local customers and the local economy."

Diana Mompoloki, head of Convergence for the South West of England Regional Development Agency - which is the managing agent for the ERDF Convergence Programme in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, added: "This is the first investment to be approved under Convergence and evidence that the programme is already starting to deliver for Cornwall.

"This improved rail link will have a significant economic impact, helping to boost productivity by reducing travel times, reinforcing the links to the Combined Universities in Cornwall and helping to underpin environmentally sustainable growth in Truro, Penryn and Falmouth."

Dave Ward, from Network Rail, said "We are delighted to help spearhead this scheme, which is made possible with all the partners coming onboard and sharing the same aspiration.

"Passengers will soon be able to benefit from a more consistent and regular services that will meet their needs."