Government ‘gamble’ with Sout th West economy

FOUR years after storms closed the Exeter to Plymouth railway at Dawlish, the Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF) says the Government is “gambling with the region’s economy”, with no permanent solution to the resilience of the railway yet funded.

PRTF Chairman Geoff Brown says the Government has yet to respond to the task force’s Closing the Gap 20-year plan for investment in the region’s rail network - 14 months after it was published and submitted in November 2016.

“Network Rail has warned that there will be an increase in disruption and closures, rising by more than 600% to once in every four years by 2065, if nothing is done to the line. We can’t allow the Government to continue to gamble with our economy,” said Brown.

He added: “The Government has spent £35 million on essential repairs reinstating the sea wall. Another £15m has been committed to the development work at Dawlish to date, but these funds are not enough to take work beyond the option development stage.

“The PRTF outlined the need for £270m works to commence on the initial phase of the Dawlish sea wall and Teignmouth cliff resilience scheme. The plan also urges completion of flood resilience works at Cowley Bridge, Somerset Levels and Hele & Bradninch.

“The lack of investment for connectivity and resilience is choking our economy in the South West. We’re four years on from Dawlish and the rail line is still extremely vulnerable. We’re all hoping that we don’t see storms like that again, but chances are we will - and we need to be prepared for that.”

Brown called for the South West to be funded in line with other regions across the UK, adding: “The Government has increased rail fares to fund improvements in infrastructure, but here in the South West we haven’t seen any improvements - where’s our value for money?

“The Government has our 20-year plan, which clearly outlines our priorities. Let’s see action.”