The following question was submitted by Mr Gregg Roger Black and answered by Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of the Council:

Question: Rail connectivity is very important to Plymouth, does the Leader support Devon County Council in reopening the line between Bere Alston and Oakhampton to Exeter as an alternative to the line past Dawlish? This would be an alternative if there is another storm that damages the line like in 2014.

Answer:

We, as part of the Peninsula Rail Task Force, support the northern route as an additional line but the Peninsula Rail Task Force’s number one priority is and always has been a resilient main line between Plymouth and Exeter that is also able to serve communities in Torbay and South Devon.  Government must first commit to funding all the phases of work identified by Network Rail to make the existing coastal route more resilient.  Phase 2 is under construction as we speak.

Longer Term, not only as rising sea levels continue to threaten the resilience of the coastal route but also the need to provide more train paths to meet rising demand in what will be an increasingly populated part of South Devon, a southern alternative route behind Dawlish becomes the preferred alternative main line route. Longer distance express services, not required to stop at any of the intermediate stations along the coast between Newton Abbot and Exeter, can use this alternative to avoid delays travelling behind stopping services and at the same time improve reliability and reduce journey times to Exeter and beyond into the bargain.