Failure to protect the main rail artery into the South West is “not an option” and the link is a national priority for the economy, a high-level transport conference has heard.
Julie Gregory, senior sponsor for the South West Rail Resilience Programme at Network Rail, told delegates at the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) 2020 South West Regional Conference that future-proofing the stretch of railway that runs through Dawlish is essential.
In 2014 storms broke through the sea defences at the Devon seaside town leaving the track suspended above the waves. The region west of Exeter had no through trains for six weeks.
A new Dawlish sea wall is currently under construction and there are controversial plans to move the railway line at Holcombe out to sea and away from cliffs.
Ms Gregory, giving an update on the Dawlish track, revealed 134 trains carry about 12,500 passengers along this section each weekday.
She emphasised that the railway is a vital artery for the South West and how the Government had underlined this in its statement that: “protecting the line at Dawlish is a national priority of the utmost importance.”.
She said: “Every failure has a huge cost to the local and regional economy as well as significantly disrupting residents and businesses that rely on the railway. Doing nothing is not an option.”
The conference, held at Reed Hall in theUniversity of Exeter, was headlined ‘Rejuvenation and the Economy: Insights into how transport can influence regional prosperity, and also focused on issues such as the environment and the move to a zero-carbon economy.
The tightly-packed conference programme was well received by a 60-strong audience with eminent speakers travelling from across the region to speak on the future of transportation. from planes to trains, active travel to highways and more, followed by Q&A and group sessions.
SW regional chair Nik Bowyer said: “Links between transport and the economy have been well studied and the impacts of transport on improving economic fortunes are frequently cited as justification for transport schemes both globally and in the South West region.
“Recently, HS2 has been given the green light by the Government in large part due to its expected positive impact on regional economies, so this is a great time to explore the linkages between transport and the economy in the South West.”
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President and chair of the board of trustees at CIHT Martin Tugwell’s theme was “Shaping Tomorrow Today” and he said: “My Presidential theme highlights the key role that our members have in shaping the future each and every day – whether it’s maintaining our existing assets, delivering new investment or planning for the future.
“What’s important is to recognise what we do makes a difference to the lives of our communities and businesses. As transportation professionals we must address the challenge that comes with the ambition to support economic prosperity whilst at the same time delivering on the need to achieve net zero-carbon no later than 2050.
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“This cannot be business as usual; we need to apply our skills, insight and innovation to identify solutions that address this challenge and to do so at pace. Transportation professionals need to be not just the advocates of change but the agents of its delivery.”
Dr Steve Melia, senior lecturer in transport and planning at the University of the West of England presented on Does Transport Investment Really Boost Economic Growth?. He said the economy drives transport investment, rather than the other way round.
The charity CIHT is a learned society and membership body with 12 UK nations/regions and a number of international groups. It represents and qualifies professionals who plan, design, build, manage, maintain and operate transport and infrastructure.
The conference, sponsored by WSP, was followed by a black-tie awards dinner with 170 guests from the construction industry at the Great Hall, in the University of Exeter. A raffle raised £1,790 for Freewheelers EVS, a voluntary blood bike charity.
