A decision to halt work aimed at preventing landslides on a railway line threatens to cut off parts of Devon and Cornwall from the rest of the country. The Department for Transport announced in July that plans to prop up cliffs between Exeter and Plymouth had been scrapped.
Martin Wrigley is the Liberal Democrat MP for Newton Abbot. His constituency includes the most vulnerable length of track. He said it may be a case of when, not if, part of sandstone cliffs topple onto the line.
Mr Wrigley told the Telegraph: “We’re in a situation where the entire cliff may come down at any time on any day and there may or may not be a train passing at the time.
“It would be absolutely catastrophic for the region if those cliffs let go and fatal if they let go at the wrong moment and there’s a train there.”
80 metres of the track were affected when a storm smashed through a seawall at Dawlish, Devon, in 2014. A landslip also saw 25,000 tonnes of rock falling onto the line.
Network Rail established the South West Rail Resilience Programme to address the collapse, but the final stage of the work has been affected by the halt.
Ministers appear to have balked at the idea of funding the full scheme, which according to the Telegraph would have cost at least £400million.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said in July it would put the final phase on hold, but works to “support” the monitoring of the cliffs and drainage would continue.
It said significant investment has already been made in securing the cliffs and strenghtening the coastline, but other projects around the country required more of a focus.
Rail minister, Lord Hendy, told the transport select committee the “odd bit of cliff falling down” could be fixed with the “odd bit of repair”.
He acknowledged the cliffs are “vulnerable” and have been so since the line was built.
A DfT spokesman said: “Significant government investment has already ensured the South West coastline is better protected against extreme weather, boosting the region’s connectivity and economy for years to come.
“We are funding further cliff monitoring and drainage works and will keep this scheme under review at future funding events as the works complete.”
