Improving the resilience of the South West Peninsula is
part of the biggest overhaul of the Great Western route
since Brunel started work on the line more than 175
years ago, with £5.7 billion being invested in
modernising the line and improving journeys for
passengers. Central to this vision are upgrades to
stretches of railway that run close to the sea through
Teignmouth and Dawlish, safeguarding their future
against damage as when storms washed away part of the
line at Dawlish in 2014.
The government has already provided £15 million for
Network Rail to design a long-lasting solution to this
problem, in addition to the £40 million spent by
Network Rail to repair the damage caused in the 2014
storm.
Transport Secretary said:
We are investing in the biggest modernisation of our
railway network since Victorian times, providing
faster, more reliable and more frequent services for
passengers across the country.
The 2014 storms caused devastation to Dawlish and
huge disruption followed. It has been a key priority
since I became Transport Secretary.
That’s why we’re investing in the infrastructure of
the region – making it easier for people to get
around and better connecting the south west to the
rest of the country. And that’s why sorting out the
route through Dawlish is my number one national rail
priority.
From the summer, passengers will be also able to take
advantage of 29 Intercity Express trains running from
London to Penzance. The new bi-mode trains will provide
faster, more comfortable and more reliable services,
adding an additional 1000 peak time seats compared to
today.
Other improvements include:
- the start of a two-train per hour service between
Plymouth and Penzance.
- the end of ‘Pacer’ trains
- free Wi-Fi on all GWR trains
- substantial car park extensions at stations across
the peninsula including a completed scheme at Tiverton
Parkway and further schemes at St Erth and Taunton
- investment of £9 million to update the Cornish
sleeper service
- instructing GWR to examine how the
line between Exeter and Okehampton could see the
reinstatement of regular train services.
Elsewhere in the region:
- the government is investing more than £1.6 billion
in upgrading the A303 near Stonehenge, linking the
south-east and the M5 in the south-west to improve
journey times, reduce congestion and improve air
quality for millions of people, while also supporting
120,000 extra jobs and 100,000 new homes across the
region
- local authorities will benefit from £1.3 billion
funding to maintain local roads in the current funding
period
- the government awarded more than £970 million in
local growth funding to boost jobs and business in the
area
- the government announced at the Budget to invest
£79 million to build the A30 link road for St Austell
- the government is investing £60 million in a series
of local road schemes, with funding from the National
Productivity Investment Fund
