Investing in the railways in the South West will support a region worth £36 billion per year, 98,000 businesses and 1.1 million jobs. Additionally, plans by Local Enterprise Partnerships aim to create a further 181,000 jobs, and a Peninsular and City Deal another 9,500 jobs.
The Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF) highlighted the statistics in a consultation launched on May 6, looking at its 20-year plan for the South West’s rail network.
The PRTF draws attention to a 123% growth in passenger numbers in the past 17 years, stating: “Our economy is bigger than Merseyside, Tyne and Wear, South Wales, Leeds and Sheffield, yet it is only served by one main rail line and one major strategic road.
“Given the peninsular geography, this creates over-dependency on the transport system. Over 100,000 people in north Cornwall and mid-Devon do not have access to the rail network. One in five people in Devon do not have a car. Being able to rely on regular, reliable and cost-effective public transport is therefore essential to many people - every day, every week - in order to get to work, education and training, or for leisure activity.”
The PRTF elaborated in its consultation: “We also need wider network resilience through a second line west of Exeter, to complement and maximise the benefit of plans to provide a diversion route east of Exeter via Yeovil to Castle Cary.
“And to maximise the return on the AT300s’ investment, further line speed improvements are required. Quick wins can produce improvements of six minutes from Paddington to Taunton, eight to Exeter, 13 to Plymouth and 26 to Penzance.”
- For more on this story, read RAIL 801, published on May 25.
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 06/05/2016 19:23
What about a new diversion route so that trains can avoid the sea with the new route to be built at Dawlish with a new railway station to serve Dawlish whilst the old railway line could be used as a public pedestrian route once the new railway line is built.
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BigTone - 08/05/2016 13:15
Inter regional politics caused this when the LSWR extremity was transferred to the (G)WR and promptly ripped up. As the Oakhampton route is being promoted for reinstation, look to some of those branches as well. Also electrify from Basingstoke, Westwards and run the line with Javelins (build some more)
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