Call for rail improvement plan due to storm risks
BBCLabour MPs from Devon and Cornwall have called on the government for a plan to improve the region's rail network after storm damage.
They have asked for a strategic rail plan after Storm Goretti and Storm Ingrid, which caused part of a seawall in Dawlish to partially collapse, leading to disruption to train services.
The MPs said they had a "really positive meeting" with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Wednesday.
A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said significant investment meant railways in the region were "better protected against extreme weather" and would boost the local economy and connectivity for years to come.
'More work to do'
In a joint statement MPs said: "Storms Goretti and Ingrid reminded us that without a dedicated Strategic Rail Plan, our local economies and communities remain at risk."
The proposed Long Term Rail Planwould look to focus on infrastructure upgrades to withstand increasingly volatile weather patterns, the statement said.
Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: "Heidi Alexander understands how important rail is for the South West, she's spending millions of pounds on rail upgrades in our region."
He added she had taken away the idea to look at what planning could be put together using Network Rail, Great Western and all other rail plans to looks at whether a single long-term plan could be produced.
"It was a really positive meeting but we've still got more work to do," he said.
Steve BriersExeter MP, Steve Race, said: "The increasing regularity and severity of storms due to climate change means our rail network is exposed every winter, having a big impact on people going to work, students going to college, and others going about their daily business."
Jayne Kirkham, MP for Truro and Falmouth, said: "Cornwall's only rail link to the rest of the country is incredibly precarious, and the recent storms proved it. We urgently need a more resilient network in the South West."
'Irresistible case'
Andy Bowes-Roden, deputy editor of Modern Railways Magazine, based in Hayle, said the region's rail network was "vulnerable" with extreme weather events increasing.
He said some of the infrastructure was "very old" and would need "serious money" to sort it out.
Bowes-Roden added he believed 10% of the £45bn earmarked for the Northern Powerhouse Rail project would:
- Complete resilience works near Holcombe
- Reopen the Dartmoor Line in full from Exeter through Okehampton and Tavistock to Plymouth
- Give the West of England line a vastly needed upgrade
- Allow us to strengthen other critical parts of our infrastructure
He added: "The challenge is that we've got to make an irresistible case for that and it is no good going to the government with a begging bowl and saying 'we're not getting our fair share'.
"What we have to do as a region is to speak with one voice and say 'spend this money'."
The DfT said despite the frequency and intensity of bad weather earlier in 2026, the railway at Dawlish - which has had £165m invested into it after part of the line in 2014 - was only closed during the storms themselves.
It added the government "remained committed" to concluding works needed on the route to mitigate the risks of passing so close to the coast between Dawlish and Teignmouth.
"We will continue to work in partnership with Network Rail to ensure lines across the region remain resilient and fit for purpose for the communities they serve," a DfT spokesperson said.
