Engineers Support MP's Call For Rail Line To Be Adequately Maintained
30th November, 2010
The Institution of Civil Engineers South West (ICE) has given its full backing to Devon MP Anne Marie Morris's call to the Department for Transport to ensure the future of the South West coastal rail line from Exeter to Plymouth.
In an Adjournment Debate at Westminster on Wednesday, the Newton Abbot MP challenged the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker, to give the government's guarantee that the line's future was secure.
Amid rumours that consideration was being given to the reopening of the old southern line through Okehampton and Tavistock, there have been growing fears that coastal erosion and rising sea levels would make the stretch of rail unviable in the future.
Trish Johnson, Regional Director for ICE South West, said: "We are extremely grateful to Anne Marie Morris for raising this critical subject in Parliament. The line is crucial to the South West's critical infrastructure. Not only is it of economic benefit through tourism and allowing a rural community to travel to work, it is one of the few entries to the far South West."
Speaking for the Department for Transport, Mr Baker confirmed that both government and Network Rail would guarantee the future of the line indefinitely and that any alternative developments would act as additions to the network.
Additionally, he said that the government recognised the importance of the line both as a vital rural transport link and as an important tool for reducing the South West’s carbon footprint through providing an alternative to the car
Mrs Johnson continued: "We see any future ambition to reopen the alternative southern line or even build a new route as being in addition to the existing line. The South West needs a more efficient and integrated transport network both to improve accessibility and to secure solid economic growth through inward investment."
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