South West leaders call for urgent action

In the face of further incoming storms, leaders across the South West peninsula have written to the Prime Minister demanding urgent action from the Government over the destroyed track at Dawlish.

The rail line was severed after severe weather destroyed an 80m section of track near Dawlish station was along with a section of seawall.

Due to the extent of the damage the repairs are not accepted to be completed until the 18th of March however the actual date has yet to be confirmed.

As many businesses rely upon the rail line, the cost of the closure to South West’s economy has been estimated to be between £1m- £2m each day.

The letter signed by the leaders of all the affected local authorities’ calls on the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to fix the track as a matter of urgency.

The letter also calls for the immediate release of £31.1m promised to the South West early last year.

The money was promised for a programme a resilience defences for same train route currently damaged in Dawlish after three separate flooding incidents last year closed the track for several weeks.

Despite reassurances from government that the money would be given no sum has yet been received.

The letter is signed by Councillor Tudor Evan, leader of Plymouth City Council, Councillor John Hart, leader of Devon County Council, Mayor Gordon Oliver of Torbay Council, Councillor John Pollard, leader of Cornwall
Council, Chris Pomfrett, Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP and Steve Hindley, chair of Heart of the South West LEP.

It reads:
“We are writing on behalf of the South West peninsula’s residents and the business community to ask for urgent action from the Government to restore our rail connections to the rest of the country as quickly as possible.

“The only rail line into the South West has been left dangling by a thread over the sea at Dawlish. As a result there will be no through rail services between Cornwall, Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, and the rest of the UK for many weeks, if not months.

“The rail link to Plymouth, Cornwall, Torbay and most of Devon has effectively been cut off from the rest of the country for the second year running. The South West peninsula – the Heart of the South West (HotSW) and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (C&IoS) LEP areas – has a combined population of almost 2.2m, equal to or greater than the fourth and fifth most important cities in England outside London with over 900,000 jobs and a GVA of almost £36b. This is causing immense damage to the region’s economy, the scale of which makes it imperative the Government takes action now.

“We ask for urgent assurances that the funding you announced this week for flood defences will include proper protection for the South West main line.

“The entire region is united on this issue. The South West peninsula leaders and business leaders discussed this matter urgently and agreed a list of immediate and critical actions which will mitigate disruption to travellers, business and commuters as a priority.

“We believe that this is so important to the economy of the region and indeed the country that a single, senior minister needs to take responsibility for rail resilience in the South West and ensure rapid response and co-ordination of various agencies.
Our immediate priorities are:
* The work to repair the existing line is undertaken as a matter of urgency.
* An immediate emergency timetable published to make clear which trains are running where and when as part of a swift and concerted public information campaign to highlight alternatives for customers. For the duration of the works a marketing initiative to include fare reductions in order to compensate passengers for their inconvenience and to minimise long term damage to passenger levels on the South West main line.
* Immediate release of the £31.3 million investment programme to support the 10 point programme submitted by Network Rail to help the rail system withstand more frequent flooding.

“These are the immediate and urgent measures that need to be introduced. We also need:
* A fully funded investment scheme to ensure there is resilience across the South West Rail network and travel times are significantly enhanced.
* Co-ordinated capital investment from both Network Rail and the Environment Agency to work more closely together.
* To connect Plymouth to the Strategic National Corridor network. It sends a clear message from Government to the private sector that they expect business growth and is vital for business confidence. It costs the Government nothing, but will have a huge benefit for the city.

“The rail infrastructure in the South West has suffered from underinvestment for many years and the entire region is now paying a very high price for this. We want to work with the Government to find practical and urgent solutions.

“Unless these fundamental issues are addressed now, the cost to the Government as a whole through a severely damaged regional economy will be massive.

“We ask for an urgent meeting with you to discuss these issues.”