No action on Dawlish

The ‘Beast from the East’ brought our fragile rail line at Dawlish to a standstill yet again, the cause this time being debris and flooding. At the same time all our major trunk roads (A38, A380, A30 and A386) were closed due to snow and ice.

The last time Dawlish was closed, the Prime Minister told us that money was no object to sorting a long-term plan. And in early March, the Transport Secretary said on local television that Dawlish was the top national priority! I do hope he isn’t choking on his words now.

I don’t think us folk in the West Country have a hope in hell’s chance of getting government to provide a Dawlish avoiding line for the increasing amount of closures due to tides and weather. Let’s not forget that CrossCountry terminates services travelling west of Exeter, often due to tidal conditions because Voyager units don’t like salt water.

Perhaps it is time that Devon and Cornwall does have its own rail franchise and for it to be let over a long period, similar to the Chiltern model.

This will enable private investment to be used to open up the Bere Alston to Okehampton route, to provide a desperately needed diversionary route which is now so desperately needed.

It would make a good test bed, and prove that private investment in rail infrastructure could work. Nick Furze, Plymouth