South West neglect
LUKE POLLARD, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, tells RICHARD CLINNICK why the South West needs to push even harder for a share of railway investment
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP LUKE POLLARD says the South West region needs to push even harder for investment.
The South West has been making waves again.
New trains are on the horizon, with testing of Great Western Railway Class 802s well under way ahead of an anticipated July start. Calls for improving the railways in the region are growing ever louder.
Following the infamous evening of February 4 2014, when 80 metres of the famous sea wall collapsed at Dawlish (followed by a further 20 metres ten days later), the South West peninsula was cut off for two months. This cost the region £1 billion - businesses suffered from an inability to travel by rail from west of Exeter to not only London, but also the Midlands and the North, Wales and Scotland.
Network Rail looked at four options to try to prevent this happening again, but then it all went quiet… until Storm Emma arrived at the beginning of March. Once again, the wall was damaged at Dawlish - in a relatively minor way compared with February 2014, but enough to close the railway.
This prompted Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling to declare that Dawlish was his number one priority, although not everyone was convinced.
Luke Pollard was elected as MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport at last year’s General Election. He’s now a member of the Transport Select Committee. Born in Plymouth and educated at the University of Exeter, he cares passionately for the region.
“If you want to make it real, if Dawlish is actually a priority, then we need an actual funded fix. And then we need a long-term Dawlish Avoiding Line,” says the Labour MP.
That’s a lot to ask for, but then the region is growing. Passenger usage has increased by 128%, and at a much faster rate than other regions. But investment in both infrastructure and trains is not keeping pace.
The Closing the Gap report by the Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF), published in November 2016, examined passenger figures. A survey produced for the report by Plymouth University showed that 75% of those interviewed considered rail important for business travel, while 87% used rail for business travel. However, only 36% of those surveyed said staff used it for commuting.
The PRTF report highlighted that 20% of the Devon population doesn’t own a car, and that while the UK’s workplace Gross Value Added average is £ 24,600, the South West’s average is just £ 22,300. For Devon it’s £ 20,150, for Plymouth £19,900, for Cornwall £17,300, and the lowest is Torbay at £15,500.
And yet there are 98,000 businesses in the region supporting 1.1 million jobs from a population of 2.2 million. Overall, this is worth £ 36 billion to the UK economy. Journeys by rail for tourism and hospitality totalled 14.7 million to London, and 25.6 million to the region.
In terms of links to other regions, 91% said they valued links to London and the South East, 80% valued links to the North, Midlands and Bristol, and 60% valued the links to the international airports (the questions had multiple answers).
According to the PRTF report, the regional
Why is there no vocal campaigning? We need ministers under pressure. We are way too passive politically.
Luke Pollard, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP
spend per head is £ 97 for England, compared with £ 35 for the South West.
“I don’t have a problem with the North and London getting money, as they do need it, but I do have a problem with us not getting a fair share,” Pollard tells RAIL.
“We have been neglected for far too long. There’s cross-party agreement, but why is there no vocal campaigning? We need ministers under pressure. We are way too passive politically.”
Network Rail has told RAIL of its plans to extend the sea wall further into the English Channel, in its fight for resilience ( RAIL 852). This has not been funded, but is thought to cost between £ 250 million and £ 300m. By comparison, the 36 new GWR Class 802s will cost almost £ 500m.
But Pollard believes this is not enough: “Billions for HS2, billions for Crossrail for the North, more billions for Crossrail 2, while Dawlish is just a press release.”
He openly questions if NR’s aim is an immediate fix, or a long-term plan for a faster and resilient railway? Either way, it is needed just to keep the railway open, he believes. This is something NR agrees with, with the infrastructure owner stating that without its resilience plan there would be a major closure every year.
“I don’t know how anyone can think
It is right and proper that those with the purse strings are held accountable for not delivering for the South West.
Luke Pollard, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP
resilience is not long-term,” says Pollard. And he highlights other concerns: “This work that is planned won’t keep CrossCountry from not running when there are waves. We need connections in every direction. As we are served by a singular spine, it means major service disruption not just to London but to the Midlands, Scotland and Wales. That’s a really big effect on the economy. It is worrying that this has become normalised. We expect closures!”
The problem with Voyagers, and their inability to run west of Exeter when the English Channel is rough, has existed since before Arriva took over that deal in November 2007. Virgin CrossCountry delivered the trains, only to discover that the saltwater disagreed with them.
Pollard is exasperated: “We have had route closures, but we have had CrossCountry problems, too. Passengers don’t understand whether it is a TOC, ROSCO or infrastructure problem - they just want the trains to work. And we have a problem with the railway.”
He says the new XC deal needs to include replacement rolling stock, and not just because of the Voyagers’ problem with waves: “We know how overcrowded they are, and how frequently they are cancelled in autumn and winter. New rolling stock could make the difference.”
Pollard tells RAIL there are three key areas that need tackling to help the South West to prosper: “Resilience, journey times and capacity. All three need to be addressed.”
The PRTF’s ambition is for faster journeys including London-Taunton in 1hr 30mins, London-Exeter in 1hr 45mins, London-Plymouth/Paignton in 2hrs 15mins, and London-Truro in 3hrs 30mins. It notes that while the average speed on the East and West Coast Main Lines is 90mph, the average speed to the South West is 69mph. PRTF argues that reducing journey times by 26 minutes is worth £ 213m to the GVA per annum and £ 7.2 billion over 60 years. How could this be achieved? “Signalling upgrades could help,” says Pollard. “That will also help the ‘stoppers’ that serve the local communities. And this could be done almost immediately. We could bring the Network Rail telecommunications trial to GSM-R masts on the route.”
He also believes that can help passengers on the trains: “We know reception is almost impossible for parts of the route. It may only be 2G, but if the principal is that it can be used for public WiFi it can improve people’s work and productivity.”
Is the shopping list too ambitious? New trains, new railways and new infrastructure upgrades will cost fortunes.
Pollard isn’t fazed: “As a region, we don’t only want one thing. There’s a lazy thinking that we can only ask for one thing.”
He also suggests it’s lazy to think of the region as a holiday destination: “Tourism is important, but the sole line supports so much more - it supports entire economies. It’s not just one sector. I think the region has to be better, louder and prouder, and our economy is diverse and successful.”
PRTF highlights how half of the 98,000 businesses in the region are described as innovative.
“Businesses back the things we are asking for, but we need them to back them publicly. There’s an intensive campaign needed, so that Chris Grayling makes his pledge in March a reality,” says Pollard.
He welcomes the ‘802s’, but says it’s not enough: “What sequence are the upgrades? What do we want for investment? New trains are good, but the Department for Transport will try and claim that investment for themselves. It is not a substitute for infrastructure upgrades or resilience. We have to stop accepting the poor deals. We need to
put pressure on.”
Pollard says his party has committed £ 2.5bn towards the overall £ 9.5bn that has been reported as being needed for the full upgrade plans, and that this initial figure is what the PRTF says is needed over the next decade to deliver plans for the Great Western Main Line.
“That would pay for track straightening, for signalling upgrades and for getting the line ready for the Dawlish Avoiding Line, but it would not pay for the Avoiding Line. It would, however, reduce journey times and get more capacity.”
He compares that level of funding with other projects. “£ 2.5 billion compared to HS2 or Crossrail? It is, relatively speaking, entirely achievable. Labour has committed to the PRTF, the Tories have not.”
The picture for the region may appear gloomy, but Pollard has a positive outlook. “I am an optimist so I expect a lot for Control Period 6 [2019-24].”
He says that discussions concerning a proposed Devon and Cornwall franchise are not popular: “We do not want a Devon and Cornwall franchise, or splitting the main franchise. That would lock in no change.
“Frankly, it is a fight we should not be having. It is a debate manufactured entirely by ministers.”
He says the Devon Metro service must be a long-term plan, but that reopening via Okehampton “is not a main line”. Even so, he wants to see the Okehampton line reopened, although with improvements to the main line still the priority.
“We are now in a waiting game with the South West route. As a region, Devon and Cornwall has been forgotten for far too long. That frustrates me. As a new MP that frustrates me. Why are we not seeing a relentless campaign to deliver what is the South West’s number one ask?”
He says cross-party meetings are not taking place, despite his requests, and that this sends out the wrong message.
“No new money, no new strategy, and now no new plan. Chris Grayling made his pledge and predictably it was swallowed. Business as usual hasn’t worked, so we need to do something different.
Relentless campaigning is important, he says: “We need these clarion calls from businesses and politicians. We need ongoing pressure on ministers and officials, so that whenever possible there is someone there from the South West calling for investment.
“This needs to be done on a cross-party basis. We need to dial up the pressure or we will be ignored. Fixing and mending is not sufficient.”
Pollard is supportive of Network Rail and its staff: “I think the entire region supports the Orange Army, and the work it does and is doing. I think where we have an issue is where the funds are allocated, and the priorities.
“We set out a clear plan - when and how much we want. We have support, and it is right and proper that those with the purse strings are held accountable for not delivering for the South West.”
Pollard makes his final case: “It’s a great place for business. There is dynamism there, but we are missing fast and reliable journeys.
“It is not just Cornwall holiday cottage owners, it is defence, marine sciences… it is a brilliant economy. It’s why it cannot be just so few opposition MPs to drive this. We need to be relentless.”